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Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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et  de  haut  an  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

DARING  SPIRITS   WHO   HAVE    INVADED   THE 


KING'S   REALM. 


'Wi 


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JJ 


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^^.^>ti^ 


THH 


KinG  0r  nmum 


OR 


THE  WORLD'S  WOnDERinnD. 

A  THRILLING   NARRATIVE 

<n    THE 
MANY  EFFORTS  ANn  ATTEMPTS  TO  PIFRCF  TIIRnnr^,,   . 

ICY  REGIONS  OF  THE  ARCTIC  CIRCLE. 

STAKTUNG  DiSCLOSUKES  OF 

NATURE'S  DEEPEST  SECRETS 

AS    DEVELOPED    BY 

THE    EAKLV    EXCUSH    EXPLOKEKS,    AND    HAKINO    A.EK,o,,s 
OF  THE   PRESENT  ERA.  '^^  ANS 

By  col.  a.  G.  feather, 

Author  of  "Stanleys  story,"  etc. 

RICHLY   AND  PROFMSELY  ILLUSTRATED   WITH  A  SERIES  OE 
SUPERB   CHROMATIC  PLATES. 

CLEVELAND,  OHIU:- 

AMERICAN  PUBLISHING  CO. 


COPYRIGHT 

By  JOHN  K.  POTTER  &  COMPANY, 

1891. 

Ali.  Rights  Reserved. 


CAUTION. 

The  Engravings  in  this  book,  as  well  as  the  printed  matter, 
being  fully  protected  by  copyright,  we  desire  to 
caution  all  persons  against  copying  or  re- 
producing in  any  form.     Any  one  so 
offending  will  be  prosecuted. 


ter, 


TO  THE 

BRAVE,  DARING  AND  HEROIC  SPIRITS, 

WHO 

rHROrOH    PKRt.OC8    EXPI.0KATI0«8,   DKKYIXa    HCNOKR,   COLB 

UNTOLD  SUKFKRm«8  AND  BEATH   ^ELF,  ATTEMPTED 

TO   UNFATHOM  THE  GREAT    MYSTERY  BEYOND 

THE  ICY  BARRIERS  OF  THE   NORTH 

THia  VOLUMB  IS 

RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED. 


The  deep  mystery  buried  in  that  portion  of  the  Earth 
farthest  removed  from  civilization,  and  shadowed  by  the 
insurmountable  icy  barriers  which  encircle  it  on  all  sides 
has  been  for  many  generations  past  a  subject  of  vital  and 
absorbing  interest.  A  sort  of  interest  approximating  to 
fascination  has  ever  been  manifested  in  the  Arctic  or  polar 
regions,  and  the  question  of  an  open  polar  sea  beyond  its 
i^cj^  barriers  one  that  has  exercised  the  scientific  world  for 

There  have  been,  and  ever  will  be,  gallant,  adventurous 
spirits  who  are  impelled  to,  rather  than  deterred  from, 
enterprises  by  the  hazards,  the  dangers,  and  the  sufferings 
that  stand  m  the  way.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the 
wisdom  of  those  who  thus  brave  trial,  suffering,  peril- 
and  death  itself-in  striving  to  fathom  the  mysteries  of 
the  Arctic  Circle,  no  one  will  fail  to  admire  the  daring  men 
themselves  or  to  manifest  a  warm  interest  in  their  wonder- 
ful exploits. 

In  presenting  this  work  to  the  public  the  author  would 
state  that  he  has  not  given  a  series  of  disjointed  sketches 
of  the  successive  expeditions  to  the  Arctic  Regions,  but  a 
connected  consecutive  narrative,  showing  how,  step  by 
step,  the  difBcuIties  environing  Arctic  navigation  have  been 
niet  and  overcome,  and  discoveries  have  been  made  which 
have  disclosed,  one  by  one.  many  of  the  wonderful  secrets 
of  that  region  of  mystery  which  surrounds  the  North 


'  PREFACE. 

If  thoao  Who  read  those  p„gos  shall  find  J„  the  events, 
the  .ncdonts,  the  oxperionces,  the  perils  and  remarkable 
escapes,  the  actual  disasters,  and  the  results  of  the  re- 
.earches  herein  recorded,  a  little  of  the  absorbing  interest, 
the  absolute  faseinatior,  which  has  held  the  uutlL's  mi  d 
enchaaned  to  the  subject  throughout,  and  caused  him  to 

tZT  I       ,  .""■  '"  '^°  ^'''"^"'■''^  «^  ^''*'  chronicler's  task, 
ho  t^.k  W.11  have  served  its  purpose-the  amusement  and 
the  instruction  of  the  public. 

We  believe  that  none  will  arise  from  a  perusal  of  these 
unpretending  annals  without  feeling  that  the  time  devoted 
to  them  has  been  well  spent;  and  we  also  feel  assured  that 
those  who  read  the  book  through  will  lay  it  down  with  a 
single  regret  that  they  have  reached  the  end,  and  will  look 
forward  with  eager  eyes  to  still  further  developments  in 
that  most  unattractive  in  itself,  and  yet  strangely  fasci- 
nating, portion  of  God's  universe.    That  there  will  be  such 
further  developments  is  more  than  probable.    Despite  suf- 
fering, peril,  disaster,  and  death,  there  will  ever  be  san- 
gume  projectors  and  daring  explorers  who  will  not  give 

Rel        tu  T^  T^  '"^'"'^'^''^  P°^*'«"  «f  '^'  Arctic 
Regions  shall  have  been  fully  explored,  and  the  hidden 

ZT  '^  ^°"f  .^"^/^"'^^d  in  deep  mystery  shall  have  been 
disclosed  and  la.d  bare  to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 


Men  who  hare  invaded  the  King'.  Realm,  w.    .■    •     '^*" 

The  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun..  Front,^,,,, 

Relies  of  the  B.irenti  Expedition  ...".".".'.".' Opposite  20 

KxploringaNewLiind """] ^' 

Natives  catching  Seals .'.".'.*!!] ' '' 

An  Arotio  Sledge  and  Dog  Team  .* ^^ 

An  loe-Uaft ^J* 

Capt.  I'hlpi)a  abandoning  his  Ships"."*.'" ''^ 

Familiar  Scones  in  the  Arotio  Region's." n V;*  !! 

Attaoltedby  Walruses .""   " Opposite  80 

A  Beautiful  Aurora  and  Qlaoier.. .'......,'"* *' 

A  Superb  Glacier  on  a  Mountain  i'n'Magdaiena'BaT nZZll'  ^! 

Situation  of  the  Trent «u»"na  flay Opposite  98 

Perils  of  the  Northern  Sea's '..'.'.' " ®^ 

The  Reindeer  of  the  North !!!'.'."'."'.".','.'.'.'." Opposite  100 

Capt.  Parry  sawing  a  Channel ', 'A '.'"  '*" 

An  Esquimaux  Snow-hut "."" Opposite  112 

An  Arctic  Mirage [[ ^^' 

Interior  of  an  Igloo .".' '^^ 

Parhelia ^*' 

Natives  fishing  for  Seals "...'....'!!'.....". ^^^ 

Esliimo  DomoHtio  Life...  ^^^ 

Savage  Attacit  of  Walrus'c's Opposite  152 

The  Blossom  at  Anchor  in  Ko";;"e'bu'e  S^uk'd '''""'""'  "f 

Scoresby's  Sound  '■^° 

A  Reindeer ^" 

A  Polar  Bear  ........ '"^. "".".'.."..*.' ^^' 

A  Fight  with  Polar  Bears  .".'.'...'.',.'.'!.'."'.'"." '^^ 

Capt.  Ross  wading  after  his  Game." ^^^ 

A  Fail  through  a  Crevasse...  '^' 

The  Midnight  Sun ."..".".'.' 215 

The  Ship  "  Terror  "BeveroiyNippe'd 'k V  ^^'^ 

A  Furious  Attacl;  by  Walruses  ^^     ^PP""'***  ^38 

The  Ghastly  Discovery  ...  " "^^ 

The  Shores  of  the  Polar  Sea  ".". Opposite  266 

Rooky  Barriers  of  the  Arctic  Regio'ns' .'.'.'.'.'.'!.'!.*.'." fj. 

7 


s 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


t 


MSI 

Animal  Life  in  the  Icy  Regions Opposite  300 

Rapid  Transit  in  the  Arctic  Regions 323 

Sledging  with  Sails  and  Kites /".'.'.Opposite  3?8 

Catching  Whalps 3^0 

A  Race  for  Life '.".".'."..'.".'.'.'.'.".'.'.''.'.'.'op'pos'i'te  338 

"Advan^"  aud  "Rescue"  in  Barlow's  Inlet 31,3 

A  Herd  of  Walruses "  359 

Capt.  Kennedy  ..ad  his  Men  on  an  Ice-Raft Opposite  386 

An  Esquimaux  Encampment 399 

Resting  in  the  Snow 420 

Sledging  across  the  Hummocks 443 

Elisha  Kent  Kane,  M.  D Opposite  478 

Tracking  along  the  Ice-belt 433 

Sighting  the  "Release" Opposite  484 

A  Dog  Sledge 4gg 

A  Sledge  Patty „ 437 

The  Steamer  "Arctic"  under  Sail 497 

The  Forlorn  Hopo  C(juipped , 507 

Esquimaux  Boy  catching  Auks 512 

Dr.  Kane  and  his  Companions 517 

The  Dead  Mother  and  her  Cubs Opposite  524 

Harpooning  the  Crested  Seal 535 

An  Esquima"x  Settlement 555 

Cn)t.  Charles  F.  Hall Oppo'sVte  570 

Ebcfeing,  or  Jos,  and  H.vnnah  his  wife Opposite  572 

Capt.  Ha"  interviewing  the  Natires 579 

Tho  Steamer  "Polaris"  on  the  Eve  of  her  Departure 581 

Capt.  S.  0.  Buddington Opposite  584 

Burial  of  Capt.  Hall  in  the  Far  North „ Opposite  590 

Vicinity  of  Lady  Franklin  Bay 591 

Adrittin  the  Open  Polar  Sea Opposite  596 

The  Funeral  of  Capt.  Hall ^03 

TheMusk-Ox ..."............"!!!.  605 

Capt.  Hall  and  his  Innuit  Friends go? 

Capt.  George  E.  Tyson ..Opposite  617 

Bear-Hunting  in  the  Polar  Regions Opi/osite  626 

The  Sinking  of  the  "  Jeannette" 650 

Lieut.  Sch  ^atka  overtaken  byaStorm ., Opposite  660 

Sohwatka  and  Wilder  en  loute 663 

Seal-Fishing  in  the  Arctic  Seas ,. Opposite  678 

Domestic  Life  in  the  Frigid  Zone  Opposite  680 

Mnp  showing  the  Drift  of  the  "Jeannette" Opposite  686 

Lieut.  Grec;;,''s  Quarters  atFort  Conger Opposite  692 

ihe  Barren  Coa!<t  of  P^lismere'g  Land Opposite  700 

Map  showinp  Drift  of  t'reely's  P.,rtj Opposite  708 

An  Esquimaux  Dog  Team  at  Pull  Speed 713 


CHAPTER   I. 

Aspects  of  lU  Arctic  Regions.-Phenomena.-The  Arctic  Ocean.-' 
Earliest  Explorers.-Tbe  Northmon.-The  Cabots.-The  Cortm 
reals—Sir  Hugh  Willoughby._Frobisher._Sir  Humphrey  Gil- 
bart._Davi8 — Barentz — Hudson.— Baffin |y 

CHAPTER   II. 

Russian  Explorations.—Deshneff.-Expoditions  of  iril.-FruitleM 
Efforf,B._Dapt«ff._Behring.-Hi8  Shipwreck  and  Death—Fate 
of  the  Snrvivorb— Sohalaroff._Sledge  Expedition._Admiral 
Von  TVrangoll'g  Expedition .. 

CHAPTER   III. 

Dffor  of  Parliament.— Hearne's  Journey.— Phipps.-Nelson— Cook. 
-Mackenzie.— Sir  John  Ross's  First  Voyage.—Buohan  and 
Franklin.— Dangerous  Situation  of  the  Trent  and  Dorothea 7| 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Parry's  First  Expedition— Icebergs—Passage  through  Lancaster 
Sound.— Prince  Regent's  InIet._WclIington  Channel.— Mellrille 
Island.- Winter  Quarters.—Scurry.— Snow  Blindness.- Theatri- 
cals— Breaking  up  of  the  Ice— Return  of  the  Expedition 99 

CHAPTER   V. 

Franklin's  First  Land  Expedition— Incidents.— Back's  Journey- 
Severity  of  the  Weather— Aurora  Borealis.-Aneodotes— Survey 
of  the  Coast— Return  Trip— Sufferings.- Murder  of  Mr.  Hood.— 
Deaths.— Unexpected  Relief.— Arrival  at  York  Factory Uf 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Parry's  Second  Voyage.- Arrival  at  Hudson's  Strait— Repulse 
Bh,y.— Baffling  Navigation.—Esquimaux  Fr.ends._Arctio  Cli- 
mate.— Frozen  Up— Amusements.- Iligliuk.- Lyon's  Journey- 
Snow  Huts.— Land  Excurnons.-Harbor  at  Iglooik.—Auother 
WUte..— Parhelia— Return  Home._Parry'8  Third  Voyage....^  Ill 

9 


I 


10 


CONTENTS. 


\l 


CHAPTER   VII.  ,4„ 

Lyon's  Voysge.-Bcechey'8  Expedition-Franklin's  Second  Land 
Expedlt,on.-Port  Pranklin.-Winter  at  Great  Bear  Lake._Em- 
barkat,on.-Separation  of  the  Party.-Progress  of  Pranklin's 
D.vision-Attaok  by  Esquimaux-Return  to  Port  Pranklin- 
Riohardson's  Division— Second  Winter  at  the  Fort 151 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Scoresby's  Discoreries-CIayering-Parry's  Polar  Voyage-Rein- 
deer.-Hecla  Cove-Boat  and  Sledge  Expedition-Night  Travel- 
.ng-Hummooks-Softeninjrof  the  Ice.-Highest  Point  Reached. 
Polar  Bear— Return  to  the  Ship— Homeward  Bound lee 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Ross's  Second  Voyage-Holsteinborg-Disoo  Island-Lancaster 
Sound— Boothia— Discovery  of  the  Fury's  Stores— Dangerous 
Navigation-Preparations  for  Wintering-Excursion-Seoond 
^V  inter  in  the  Ice— MagneticPole— Third  and  Fourth  Winter  _ 
Abandonment  of  the  Victory— Meeting  with  a  Whaler 188 

CHAPTER   X. 

Back's  Land  Expedition-Arrival  at  Fort  William-Aneccioto  of  a 
Canoe  Party-Franklin-Scenery-Asoent  of  Rivers— Winter 
Quarters-News  of  Ross's  Safety-Polar  Sea-Return  to  Eng- 
and-Back's  Voyage  in  the  Terror-Remarkable  Perils  among 
the  loe-Homeward  Bound-Dease  and  Simpson's  Discoveries.    213 
CHAPTER   XI. 
Rae'8  Land  Expedition-Shores  of  Hudson's  Bay-Esquimaux 
Canoes-Repulse   Bay-Snow-houses-Return-Renewed   In- 
SoV "  i"  tT7  1 "  ''"*-"'=^'  Passage-Thc  Erebus  and 
Terror-Sir  John  Franklin's  Last  Voyage-Mystery  of  his  Fate.  247 

CHAPTER   XII. 

Anxiety  in  Regard  to  Franklin-Three  Expeditions  of  Search- 
Kellett  and  Moore's  Expedition  by  Behrings  Strait-Its  Return. 
-Richardson  s  and  Rae's  Land  Explorations-Ross's  Expedition 
by  Lancaster  Sound-The  Explorers  Return  Unsucce.sful- 
i!d"n  I  itT^'  *''  Mackenzie-Return  to  the  Arctic  Sea 
and  Back-The  Season  of  1850-P„!Ien's  Arrival  in  England....  281 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

XZIV"  n''"'\V''\^'''''  "'  Franklin.  -Climate-Reward, 
Offercd.-Rencwed  Searches.-Collinson  and  M'Clure.-Rae's  In 

.tructnns.-OtherExpcdi(ions._Grinneirs  Ex,,editio...-Meet- 
ing  in  the  Arctic  Seas.-Traces  of  FrankIi„._Graves.-Sledgin<r 

Partiei.— Return  Home ^leugmg 

2M 


CONTENTS. 


11 


39» 


CHAPTER   XIV 

Further  Particulars  of  the  Sfi«r«t,-       tj  *  »*•» 

-Ro,u.ts.-Carrior.p  lor';?  ^^^'''-'-Ross's  Voyage, 
land's  Scientific  Obso  vTo„7-!g  1'     ^^Podition.-Dr.  SuthL 

-Breaking  up  of  the  Ioo.-uTZZIT'  '"        '^'■°''"  °''^*"- 

•••• ,,  ,,    231 

Th«P-        ,  CHAPTER   XV. 

Cora:.er:Xrar  '^e'-^^^""-^'-  ^--.  the 

ter  Jour„e,.-Visit  ;:Tu  ;b  riT^O  '  W-tering.,;,^. 
Pury's  Storcs-Cairnsnotiwrs  ZfV'''''"'  '^''"'•"''y-The 
to  Batty  Bay.-Ho.e.ard  BounT-B    i'oT    f  ^J''«'-««'-- 

iiellot—Rae's  Land  Journey.  881 
».   „  CHAPTER   XVI 

Ne..  frori;-.ciure  !iptr::!:rf '":::^^^     «--  - 

tiona-Advontures  with  2  ui^a„!rp  ^-'i;^''!-''  ^^P'-- 
covery   of  the   North-west  pr,!,!"'^''^'^''"'"'— Dia- 

Q«aHers.-StiI..ro.Xir„^;ri^^^^^^^^ 

CHAPTER   XVII 

The  Resolute  and  Intrepid._Parrv'«  <?„...        / 
the  rnvestigator.-PiS,.;  jo„"7 /    t^"''°"'  Again.-News  from 
turntotheResolute-AbanH      ^  ''""=  '^'"'  M'Clure.-Re. 

Su.n,er.-Cress:eU   s^nrtr  B      ?l'""^"^'''°----^^^-'7 
Voyage  of  the  Ph^nix.-LTs    of  tTeE     -T.'"''""^^    "'   *^^ 
Death  Of  Be.,ot.-Tho  Ph  J^  ald^Tirtro^t!:::^-- 
_..  CHAPTER   XVIII 

Heaeh  Beeehey  IsiaTLlrdrr;  o'fTJr""'"'''  ^ 
P.oneer-AII  Parties  Assemble  at  rL  .  r  ,  '^"'«t»°<'<'  *"«! 
the  Phccni:!  and  Talbot  T,  '".^"^''''^y  ^"''^"d.-Arrival  of 
Ph«ni,._Co,,inaon?Vo~  ;■"■«:.  =;«'-'^-Voyage  of  the 
Franklin.-_AndersonWourner.  ^    Expedition.-ReHo,    of 

45y 

CHAPTER    XIX 
Second  Grinnell  Expedition._Dr  Kan«'.  PI        't^ 

dents.-Di,astrou%,edgin^;;ftrrTh  "r~    'P"'"'"-^"'''- 
-Attompt  to    Reach  Belcher  sS„     I       ««'-''="«-Di80oyerie,. 

Abandonment  of  the  ^?s  e  -in  sl7f  ""T''"'''''"  ^'°*'''- 
partment.-The  Open  PoW  "sT^"  Safety.-Report  to  Navy  De. 

4»I 


43a 


I 


12 


CONTENTS. 


pi 


CHAPTER    XX.  ,*„ 

Action  of  Congress — Expedition  in  Search  of  Dr.  Kane.— Hartstein 
the  Commandor.—Pound.— Narrative  of  Kane.— Icebergs.— The 
Meeting.— The  Resolute.— Found  by  American  Whalers.— Inter- 
national Courtesies 531 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

Lady  Franklin  Not  Disheartened.— Voyage  of   the   Pox.— More 

Reho«  Discovered.- A  Record  Found.— The  Mystery  Solved 

Voyage  of  Franklin 539 

CHAPTER    XXII. 
Death  of  Dr.  E.  K.  Kivno.-Dr,  Hayes'  Expedition.- Lectures.— Do- 
parture  of  the  United  States.— A  Sublime  Sight  and  a  Narrow 

Escape.— Port  Foulk.- Sledge   Traveling  to   Grinnell   Land 

Mount  Parry  and  Cape  Union, — Return 66S 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 
Captain  C.  P.  Hall — Early  Interest  in  Books  of  Travel  and  Ad- 
venture.— Becomes  Interested  in  Arctic  Exploration.— First  Ex- 
pedition.—Joe  and  Hannah.— His  Return,  and  Result  of  his  Life 
in  Greenland.— Second  Expedition.— Its  Results fi68 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

The  Polaris  Expedition.— TheVessel Outfit.— Leaves  New  York 

Highest  Latitude  over  Attained.— Valuable  Discoveries.- Thank- 
God  Harbor.— Sledge  Exploration — Hall's  Death  and  Burial.— A 
Gale  separates  the  Polaris  from  the  Party  on  the  Ice-raft 680 

CHAPTER    XXV. 

Cnparalleled    Sufferings  and  Providential  Deliverance.— On  the 

Ice.— The  Field  Broken.— The  Polaris  lost  to  Sight Efforts  to 

Reach  the  Shore.— Thanksgiving  Day.— Christmas  and  New 
Year's  Day.— The  Long  Night  Over.— The  Sun  Appears.— The 
Floe  Breaks.— The  Party  Scattered.— Thoy  take  to  the  Boat,  and 

get  on  a  small  Floe.— No  Food,  no  Light  -Washed  Out Can- 

nibalism.- A  Terrible   Night.— The    Crisis Thi    Rescue.— In 

Port 


«or 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

The  Polaris  Adrift.— Beached.— Winter  House.- Two  Boats  Built. 
—Embarked,  and  going  Southward — The  Crisis,  and  the  Rescue. 
— At  Dundee  and  at  Washington (99 


CONTENTS. 


13 


CHAPTER  XXVII.  p^^a 

The  Sledge  Journey  of  Lieutenant  Schwatka,  U.  8.  A.-Occaslon 
of  the  Expedltion.-Salllng  of  the  Kothen.-Aiilval  at  Depot 
Island.-Cicslng  to  King  William  Land.-Meeting  with  the 
Innults.-TheU-  Accounts.-VIsIt  to  a  Cal.n.-Identlfyiag  the 
Remains  of  Lieutenant  living.  R.  N.-Jouiney  to  Cape  Felix - 
No  Records  Found.-Rellcs  of  Franklin's  Expeditlon.-Cainplng 
out  and  Sledge  Journey,  October  1879  to  March  4, 1880.-Return  to 
the  United  States 


651 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Lieutenant  De  Long's  Expedition  toward  the  Pole,  1879-1881.-Mr 
Bennett  Undertakes  It.-Selectlon   of   the  Routes.-De  Long's 
Plans._The  "Jeannette  "  Commlssloned.-Salling  from  San  Fran- 
Cisco-Arrival  at  St.  MIchael's.-Attempts  to  reach  Wrangell  and 
Herald  Islands-Frozen  In  the  Pack,  September  C-Chlpp  At- 
tempts the  Crossing  to  Herald  Island-The  "  Jeannette  "  Drifts 
Northwest  past  Wrangell  Land-Lieut.  Danenhower  Disabled - 
Return  of  the  Sun-Experiment  of  the  Windmill  Pump  -De 
Long  Abandons  the  Theory  of  the  Currents-Scientinc  Observa- 
tions Kept  Up.-The  Frozen   Summer.-Auror.al  Phenomena- 
Continued  Drift  Northwest-Discovery  of  Jeannette  and  Henri- 
etta Lslands.-The  "Jeannette  "  Crushed.-Landing  on  the  Floe 
-Discovery  of  Bennett  Island-The  Three  Boats.-Their  Separa- 
tlon.-The  Whale-boat  Party  land  on  the  Lena  Delta-The  First 
Cutter  under  De  Long-Sufferings  and  Death  of  De  Long -De 
Long's  Last  Entrles-Danenhower's  Search-Melville's  Search 
-The  Dead  Ten  Found-Their  Bnrlal.-Return  of  Lieut.  Danen- 
hower.-Search  begun  by  Lieut.  Ilarber-Engineer  Melville's 
Return-Appropriation  to  bring  the  Bodies  Home.-The  Return 
of  the  Bodies 

CHAPTER    XXIX 

An  Official  Polar  Commission -Establishing  Stations  of  Observa- 
tion  „  Lady  Franklin  Bay.  Grinnell  Land,  and  at  Ooglamie,  near 
Pom  Barrow.  Alaska-Lieut.  A.  W.  Greely  in  Charge  of  the  Lady 
Franklin  Bay  Expedltion.-Account  of  Its  Journey  to  the  Station 
-Fort  Conger.-Life  at  the  Station,  1881-2  and  1882-3.-Fallure  of 
Relief  Partles.-Abandonment  of  the  Station,  September  1883- 
Retreat  of  the  Party  Southward-Beset  In  the  Ice-Drifting 
Helplessly.-Aba:)donment   of   the   Steam    Launch-Reaching 


664 


I 


14 


CONTEXTS. 


Eskimo  Polnt.-i„  Winter  Quarters  at  Camp  Clay,  1883-4- 

Teulhle  sufferings  an.l  s.arvatlon.-Death  of  „,any  ,.f  ,„e  l>arty. 

«sV   /r  "T'""  ''  ^'"""-n"-  Sehley  at  a  tl.ne  when 
Supplies  had  been  Entirely  Kxliausted gg, 


I 


TECHNICAL  TERMS 

MCCIUE  TO  THK  NAVIOATION  AJIOHO  10* 

It  18  sometimea  culled  ^'  ^  '^'""^  >>»«»• 

ered  with  anow.     The  blink  of  land/asweU  ^'t.  J  "'  7  ''"'  "*'" 
tities  of  ice.  is  usually  of  a  yellowish  IT  '  "'"  '"''''  '»'"'" 

«oparatr„gthom3  '""'  ""''""^  '^«  ^'''P  '^^^^i^  by 

Brash. -Ice  broken  up  into  small  fragments 

TLiio'Si^er  irr  •  ^'-  ^'--  °^  ^^^p-^^*  or  pro.,sio„ 

the  water.  _  See  Tonouk  ^  °''""'  ^*^ '''«  «'"''^«e  of 

the  ice.  or  to  give  notice  of  wh^  '     '  '''  '""  ''""«" 

danger  of  tftL;:tl^^LVL:'r*"  ^"^^  '^^  ^^"^  ^« 
with  saws  for  a  simiL  prpo'se  ""'  "  "^""^  ^P'"'^  «""  «>"» 

fZ    ";t"  ^  ^"^'  °^""^  '"  *''*^  •=''^«*-"''«  admitting  the  sea 

^=et^n:;^;-~--^^ 

""Xtlg-on  tlr'  '"•'"'^"'  '^'^  *»•«  atmosphere.  «,.etin«. 
HUMMOCK. -A  ma.  of  ice  ri^ng  to  a  coasiderab.o  height  abcv.  th. 


16 


TECHNICAL  TERMS. 


Mr 


general  level  of  a  floe,  and  forming  a  part  of  it.    Ilummoeka  aif 
originally  raised  by  the  pressure  of  floes  against  each  other. 
lOE-ANciiOR.  —  A  hook  or  grapnel  adapted  to  talje  hold  upon  ioe. 
loE-BELT.  —  A  continued  margin  of  ice,  which,  in  high  northern  lati* 

tudes,  adheres  to  the  coast  above  the  ordinary  level  of  the  sea. 
ICKBERQ.  —  A  large  floating  mass  of  ice  detached  from  a  glacier. 
lOE-FOOT.— The  Danish  name  of  the  limited   ice-belt  of  the  mort 

southern  coast. 
Land-icb.  —  Ice  attached  to  the  land,  either  in  floes  or  in  heavy 

grounded  masses  lying  near  the  shore. 
Lank  op  Watee.  —  A  narrow  channel  among  the  masses  of  ice,  through 

which  a  boat  or  ship  may  pass. 
Lead.  —  A  channel  through  the  ice.     A  ship  ia  said  to  "  take  the  right 
lead  "  when  she  follows  a  channel  conducting  her  into  a  more  navi- 
gable sea,  and  vice  versa. 
Nipped.  —  The  situation  of  a  ship  when  forcibly  pressed  by  ice  on 

both  sides. 
Pack.  —  A  large  body  of  ice,  consisting  of  separate  masses,  lying  close 

together,  and  whose  extent  cannot  be  seen. 
Panoake-ioe — Newly-formeJ  ice,  assuming  the  peculiar  conformation 
of  numberless  patches  of  "sludge,"  and  giving  the  surface  of  the 
sea  the  appearance  of  a  handsome  pavement. 
Patch  of  Ice.  — The  same  as  a  pock,  but  of  small  dimensions. 
Pehmican.  —  Meat  cured,  pulverized,  and  mixed  with  fat,  containing 

much  nutriment  in  a  small  compass. 
Sailinq-icb.  —  Ice  of  which  the  masses  are  so  much  separated  as  to 

allow  a  ship  to  sail  among  them. 
Bludqe.  —  Ice  of  the  consistence  of  thick  honey,  oflering  little  impedi- 
ment to  a  ship  while  in  this  state,  but  greatly  favoring  the  formation 
of  a  "bay-floe." 
BTREiiH.  —  A  long  and  narrow,  but  generally  continuous,  collection  of 

loose  ice. 
Tongue.  —  A  mass  of  ice  projecting  under  water  from  an  iceberg  or 
floe,  and  generally  distinguishable  at  a  considerable  depth  of  smooth 
water.    It  differs  from  a  "  calf"  in  being  fixed  to,  or  a  part  of,  the 
larger  body. 
Trackisq.  —  Towing  along  a  margin  of  ice. 

Water-sky.  —  A  dark  appearance  in  the  sky,  indicating  "  clear  water  " 
in  that  direction,  and  forming  a  striking  contrast  with  the  ••  blink  " 
over  land  or  ice. 
TouNQ-iCR.  —  Nearly  the  same  as  "  bay-ice,"  but  generally  applied  to 
ice  more  recently  formed  than  the  latter. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ASPECTS   OP  TUB    ARCTIC   BEOI0N8.  -  PHBNOMKKA         .„ 

BARL.E3T    KXPL0RER8. -THK    NORThITn         ^f™"  ^""'°   «««*''•- 

RKAI^.-8,R     „„o„     WXr,.OUOHBV  L^OBxTHrR      "r"-"""    """"'^ 

The  varied  physical   aspect  of  the  globe  offets  aa 
tnuch  to  ciu.rm  or  awe  the   eye  of  tnan^s  to  Jwste 
to  h.s  comfort  and  well-being.     From  the  glowirhea 
and  gorgeous  vegetation  of  the  torrid  zone,  we  uTe 
hrough  all  gradations  of  climate  and  feature,  to  the 
fngid  reg.ons  of  either  pole,  where  perpetual  ice  and  a 

tZZiTTr  P"""^*  ^"   extraordinary  1 
trast  to  the  lands  of  the  sun :  from  intensest  heat  Z 

pass  to  mtensest  cold;  from  the  sandy  deserts  of  Z 

south  to  the  icy  deserts  of  the  north.     Yet  Iherels  a! 

much      the  frozen  .one  to  impress  and  elevat^       mind 

of  the  beholder  as  in  the  countries  where  natnr^  ^ 

plays  herself  in  rich  and  exuberant  loveless  " 

Beyond  the  seventieth  degree  of  latitude  not  a  ti^e 

meets  the  eye,  wearied  with  the  white  waste  of  snow 

forests,  woods,  even  shrubs,  have  disaDDoared  .n^  ' 

: X"  ss?'"^""^  -r^'^  w„%"  ,1;:::  s 

scantily  clothe  the  indurated  soil.  Still  in  thp  f,.rfK«  * 
north,  „a.„™  claims  h.r  Mrthri^ht  of  b  4;tdt 
th«  taef  a„d  rapid  .„„,„„  ,b,  ,^„^^  ,^^^  ^^'^^'^'^J^ 

17 


I 


IB 


ARCTIC  PHENOMENA. 


1  ;■  '^ 


flowerft  and  grassca  to  bloom  for  a  few  days,  until  again 
blasted  by  the  evviftly-recurriiig  winter. 

In  these  regions  certain  mystorious  phenomena  exhibit 
their  most  powerful  cflects.  Hero  is  the  point  of  attrac- 
tion of  the  compass  needle ;  and  here  the  dipping  nee- 
dle, which  lies  horizontal  at  the  equator,  points  straight 
downwards.  Slowly,  in  its  cycle  of  nearly  two  thou 
Band  years,  this  centre  or  polo  of  magnetic  attraction 
revolves  in  obedience  to  laws  as  yet  unknown.  Two 
degrees  further  toward  the  north  is  situated  the  pole 
of  cold  — a  mystery  like  the  former  to  science,  but 
equally  inciting  to  curiosity.  If  induction  may  be 
trusted,  the  pole  of  the  earth  is  less  cold  tha.i  the  lati- 
tudes fifteen  degrees  below  it. 

Round  the  shores  and  seas  of  the  aretic  regions  ice 
ever  accumulates  :  a  circle  of  two  thousand  miles'  diam- 
eter is  occupied  by  frozen  fields  and  floes  of  vast  extent, 
or  piled  high  with  hugest  forms,  awful  yet  fantastic  aa 
a  dreamer's  fancy.     Mountain  masses  — 

"  Whose  block."  of  sapphire  seem  to  mortal  eye 
Hewn  from  cerulean  quarries  in  the  sky, 
With  glacier  battlements  that  crowd  the  sphere*, 
The  slow  creation  of  six  thousand  years, 
Amidst  immensity  they  tower  sublime. 
Winter's  eternal  palace,  built  by  Time." 

Here  the  months  are  divided  into  long  periods  of  day- 
light and  darkness :  for  many  weeks  the  sun  sinks  not 
below  the  horizon  ;  for  three  dreary  months  he  appears 
001  above  it  — 


"  And  morning  comes,  but  comes  not  ol»d  in  light ; 
Uprisen  day  is  but  a  paler  night." 

But,  in  the  absence  of  the  great  luminary,  the  vivid 
coruscations  of +he  aurora  borealis  illuminate  the  wintry 
landscape,  etroaming  across  the  skies  in  broad  shcetn  of 


THE  ARCTIC   OCEAN. 

light,  flashing  in   inulti-colorod  ravs    o,    n  •     . 
fa.nt  and  feathery  "ointillatiol  !!.^^  l.'^'n^';^  '•" 
away  the  irksome.iesa  of  o-Inn  !    ^       *''**   *'^'^e« 

night  wondrous.  ^  '"'"'  ""^   '"''»'««   the   loag 

The  desolate  crrandeiir  nf  ♦».„  .    . 

^ncroasod  ,y  th/ontit^ren    ^f^ra^d  T?  ''''' 
others   the   dearth   of   vegetation  T«  "'"'' '  '° 

-perabundance  of  ani.aC  1  angTl^","^^^.^^ 
"countless  herds  of  reindeer  piJ„  n  ,  ,  '  "'  ^^** 
«ablos,  and  gray  squirrels  f^'.f'  ,  "'^  ^'''''■^'  ^"^««. 
foxes  and  Lll::'Z^ZZ7::' ''T ''  ^^^^« 
"o«8  flights  of  swans,  gle  e  anrrj""^'-  ^"^^• 
spring,  and  seek  deserts  whorofl.  '^''   ^"'^^  « 

their  nests  in  sabty      1.7      '^,"'^ '"""'*  ^'''^  ^uild 

their  proy  alongtfsea-ltr'  T  '  "'  ^""^'  P"^-« 
among  the  bushes  •    Hm!       '  P*^™'^''^"  ^un  in  troops 

brooks  and  in  the  L'or  es  "tlfe"  "',  '"^^  ^'^"^  *'« 
neighborhood  of  nl's  lat^a  '""  ,'""'  ^^^'^  *''« 
Bhines  in  spring    o"     1^'*^'"^"^ '  «"d  when  the  sun 

cheerful  note  of  the  fi  T  'I^  '"'"*^"°^*'«  ^«"'-  the 
thrush."  ^'  ^"'^''  ""^  '"  «"tumn  that  of  tho 

hi"'e'''rstn'kLrret"n''  ^^.  ^'""Tenant-Colonel  Sa- 

-;.o.hernt:Zt::n;:':— ^^^ 

hoth  continents,  the  la^!  u  e    s  ^r  VhV'^  ""^^ '' 
each  has  its  -^ifnu/i     *  nearly  the  same,  and 

".oABtei     „:  "    S'^'P'-Vi"'*"*  '"  "'»  »"">: 

SH.eria„  Wand,  ;<  ,7"  1"""''^  '-'"""■"  "»  "'"  "cw 
Sir  E.lwa,.d  P„  y'  «  N  ^  h  f":™""'/'""''  -'"^-i  "J 
fitly  ..amod,  from     ,oin    •  ^""'  °""P'  »"<'  ""« 

•ral  o„„ac,er  a^d  illtdo  "    '""*  '"™'  "''"'  '"  <^- 
W.th  respect  .0  tl,o  Arctic  Oce.„,  .  Ia,„  wriw  «. 


20 


THE   NORTH  Mt:N. 


I  >)| 


plains :  "  Wo  may  view  thiH  great  polar  soa  as  eiitloBed 

within  a  circle  wIioho  (iiuim-ter  Ih  40'',  or  two  tlio.iHand 

four   liurulred   goohnupliical    tnilcH,   and   circiimrereiicc 

Hoven  tlionBand  two   Imiidrcd  niilca.     On  tiio  Anialic 

Hide  of  this  eea  are  Nova  ZcrnLlu  and  the  Now  Sil.oriar. 

IslandH,  eacii  extending  to  about  the  7«)th  degree  of 

latitude.      On  the  European  and  American  sidee  are 

Spitzbcrgon,  extending  to  about  80°,  and  u  part  ol"  Old 

Greenhmd,  whoso  nortliern  extremity  in  yet  tinknown 

Facing  America  is  tiie  large  island  wfshed  by  Itegent'e 

Inlet,  Parry's  or  Melville's  Islands,  with  some  others,  in 

latitude  70»  to  16",  and  beyond  these  nothing  is  known 

of  any  other  land  or  islands ;  and  if  we  may  form  an 

opinion,  by  inspecting  the  general  chart  of  the  earth,  it 

would  bo  that  no  islands  exist  which  could  in  any  shape 

obstruct  navigation."     It  is  to  these  regions,  and  the 

labors  of  which  they  have  been  the  scene,  that  we  have 

for  a  short  poriod  to  direct  our  attention. 

The  history  of  Arctic  explorations  properly  begins  a1 
i  period  earlier  by  several  centuries  than  is  generally 
believed.  Careful  researches  promoted  and  carried  on 
of  late  years  by  the  Society  of  Northern  Antiquaries 
of  Copenhagen,  and  others  interested  in  the  subject. 
have  established  the  fact,  that  NewfouTidland,  Green- 
land, and  several  parts  of  the  American  coast,  were 
visited  by  the  Scandinavians  —  the  Northmen  and  Sea 
Kings  of  old  —  in  the  ninth  and  tenth  centuries.  While 
Alfred  was  engaged  in  expelling  the  Danes  from  Eng- 
land,  and  bestowing  the  rudiments  of  civilization  on  his 
country,  and  Charles  the  Bald  was  defendii^i  ''i"  «")<?. 
dom  against  a  host  of  competitors,  the  darin;.',  ■^oa  „/rr'« 
were  forming  settlements  in  Iceland. 

One  hundred  and  twenty-five  years  later,  a.  n.  1000, 
Leif  Erickson,  as  many  anticiuarians  bolieve,  led  the 
way  to  the  westward,  and  landed  on  the  Bhores  of  Mas 


THE   UND   OF   "THE    MIDNIGHT  SUN." 


^■ft 


::| 


\i     H\ 


THE  NORTHMEN.  23 

•achusetts.  naming  the  country  Vinland,  from  the  wild 
vines  which  grew  in  the  woods.     These  adventurers 
made  tlion-  way  also  to  a  high  northern  latitude,"  and  set 
up  stones  carved  with  Runic  inscriptions,  with  the  date 
ll^o,on  \\ omen's  Islands  — in  latitude  '(2»  55'— Baf- 
Ln  s  Bay,  where  they  were  discovered  in  1824     The 
colonists  on  the  eastern  coast  of  this  great  bay  made 
regular  trips  to  Lancaster  Sound  and  part  of  Barrow's 
Strait  ,n  pursuit  of  fish  "more  than  six  centuries  before 
.     the  a.iventurous  voyage  ot  Parry,"  and  carried  on  a 
trade  with  the  settlers  in  Markland,  as  Nova  Scotia  was 
then  called.     Their  numbers  must  have  been  consldera- 
be,  for  in  Greenland  there  were  three  hundred  home- 
steads or  villages,  and  twenty  churches  e.nd  convents. 
Ihey  kept  up  intercourse  with  Europe  until  1406,  when 
It  was  interrupted  by  extraordinary  ace,  mulations  of 
ice  upon  their  coasts;  and  though  the  Danish  govern- 
ment  has  made  repeated  attempts  to  ascertain  their  fate, 
It  sail  remains  in  doubt ;  the  supposition  is,  that  all 
have  perished  from  privation  or  violence  of  the  natives, 
bpitzbergen,  too,  contained  numerous  colonists  :  graves 
are  frequently  met  with  on  its  shores  ;  in  one  place  Cap- 
tain Buchan  saw  several  thousands,  the  corpses  of  some 
01  faem  as  fresh  as  when  first  interred,  preserved  by 
the  rigor  of  the  climate. 

Those  early  explorers  were  unable  to  take  full  advan- 
tage of  their  American  discoveries  ;  this  was  reserved 
for  a  later  period.     "  Intervening,"  observes  Humboldt, 
between    two    different    stages    of   cultivation,    the 
titteenth  century  forms  a  transition  epoch,  belonging  at 
once  to  the  mddle  ages  and  to  the  commencement  of 
modern  times.     It  is  the  epoch  of  the  greatest  discov- 
enes  in  geographical  space,  comprising  almost  all  de- 
grees of  latitude,  an  .^  almost  every  gradation  of  elevation 
cr  iho  earth's  surface.     To  the  inhabitants  of  Europe  it 


24 


THE    CABOTS.-THE    COETEREALS. 


doubled  the  works  of  creation,  while  at  the  same  time 
it  cffored  to  the  intellect  new  and  powerful  incitements 
to  the  improvement  of  the  natural  sciences  in  their 
physical  and  mathematical  departments." 

As  we  approach  the  period  here  rel'errcd  to,  we  find  a 
new  spirit  at  work  ;  no  longer  the  boisterous  adventurous- 
MOSS  ot  the  Northmen,  but  an  earnest  spirit  of  enterprise 
In  1380,  the  Zeni,  two  Venetian  navigators,  voyaged  into 
the  north,  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  Scandinavians 
had  preceded  them  by  three  centuries,  and  brought  home 
accounts  of  the  countries  they  had  seen.     In  HQI,  dur- 
ing the  reign  of  Henry  VII.,  British  enterprise  was  first 
directed  to  a  region  in  which  it  has  been  subsequently 
developed  to  a  degree  without  example  ;  and  Cabot,  or 
Cabota,  the  younger,  landed  at  Labrador  eighteen  months 
before  Coluabus  saw  the  mainland  of  tropical  America. 
Ho  contemplated  also  a  voyage  to  the  pole,  and  sailed 
up  to  67^°  of  north  latitude.     It  was  thought  scarcely 
possible  that  the  newly-discovered  continent  stretched 
so  far  from  north  to  south  without  a  single  opening  to  the 
westward,  and  the  search  for  this  became  the  prime 
object  with  mercantile  adventurers,  who  hoped  to  find  a 
way  to  the  rich  and  gorgeous  countries  lying  beyond. 

In  the  year  1500,  Caspar  Cortcreal,  a  Portuguese, 
animated  with  the  desire  to  emulate  Columbus  in  mak- 
ing discoveries  in  the  western  world,  set  sail  for  that 
part  of  the  globe,  and  reached  the  latitude  of  50°  north, 
whence  he  appears  to  have  run  as  far  as  60°.  The 
account  given  of  his  voyage  is  very  vague.  After  en- 
trapping on  board  no  less  than  fifty-seven  of  the  natives 
of  tlio  western  continent,  there  can  be  very  little  doubt 
for  the  purpose  of  making  them  slaves,  he  returned  to 
Portugal,  carrying  them  away  with  him.  IFe  arrived  at 
Lisbor  on  the  8th  of  October,  1501.  He  sailed  again 
the  next  season  with  two  vessels,  when,  in  entering  u 


,' 


THE  CORTEREALS.  25 

^^•ait  supposed  to  be  that  known  since  as  Hudson's 
the  slnps  were  separated  by  a  storm.  One  of  them 
returned  home  in  safety,  but,  as  if  it  were  a  rotrO^S 
or  h,s  k^dnapp.ng  the  unfortunate  aborigines  of  h" 
country  on  his  previous  voyage,  neither  Caspar  Corte: 
real  nor  Ins  crew  returned  again,,  nor  could  tlie  slightest 

rTannd  aT    T  ""'''  ''  '''''''''^'-     Caspar  C^te! 
eal  had  a  brother  named  Miguel,  who  was  much  at- 

tad.ed  to  hun,  and  full  of  the  same  spirit  of  enterp   se  ; 

-hedetermmedtosetoutinsearchofGaspar.  ' 

In  the  early  part  of  the  spring  of  1502,  Miguel  sailed 

from  Lisbon  with  three  vessels.     On  reachi 'g  the  nu 
merous  straits  and  islets  about  Hudson's  Kay   the  !h    s 
separated  .y.th  the  intention  of  exploring  e.^ch  of    1  em 
a  particular  inlet.     This  was  an  impolific  moasne  a 
their  union  would  have  enabled  them  to  give  ead  „the 

either  of  them  chance  to  be  shipwrecked  on  any  of  the 
numerous  islands,  either  rock  or  ice,  which  a  ound    , 

nate  one.     Two  of  the  ships  met  at  the  point  of  rondez 
vous,   and  returned  home  in  safetv      ThP  H  !' 

Miguel  Cortereal  on  board,  sha::S*LmlSyr 

piacew^reit^erii^:-:;;:— rr:rj::: 

anime,  was  never  known.     The  two  vessl  :;.::; 
80  fortunate  as  to  reach  Lisbon  reported  the    H      ♦ 


i^ 


2G 


SIR  HUGH  WILLOUGHBY  -  FROBISHER. 


noble-minded.  Thus  died  the  brothers  Cortereal ;  and 
this  is  all  that  is  known  of  their  fate  to  the  present  hour. 
Sir  Hugh  VVilloughby  was  sent  out  by  the  Muscovy 
Company  with  two  ships  to  find  a  north-east  passags 
"  to  Kathay  and  India ;  "  and  pushed  his  way  as  far  as 
Nova  Zembla,  from  whence,  being  stopped  by  ice,  he 
retuiTiedto  a  lower  latitude,  and  in  September,  1553,  put 
in  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Arzina,  in  Lapland.  A  mel 
ancholy  interest  attended  this  event,  little  anticipated 
by  the  unfortunate  leader  when  he  wrote  in  his  journal 

—  "  Thus  remaining  in  this  haven  the  space  of  a  weeke, 
iseeing  the  yeare  farre  spent,  and  also  very  evil!  wether 

—  as  frost,  snowe,  and  hail^,  as  though  it  had  beene  the 
deepe  of  winter,  wee  thought  it  best  to  winter  there.'* 
The  dreary  season  passed  away,  and  in  the  following- 
year  some  Russian  fishermen  found  Sir  Hugh  and  his 
crew  all  frozen  to  death.  The  other  vessel,  commanded 
by  Richard  Chancelor,  reached  Archangel,  and  opened 
the  way  for  commercial  intercourse  with  Russia. 

Next  in  importance  are  the  three  voyages  by  Frc- 
bisher,  in  1576-T8.  He  discovered  the  entrance  to  Hud- 
son's Strait,  and  explored  that  still  known  as  P'ro- 
bisher's,  but  failed  in  penetrating  to  the  westward. 
Great  hopes  were  excited  by  some  lumps  of  yellow  glis- 
tening ore  which  he  brought  home,  and  in  his  later 
voyages  gold-mines  were  not  less  to  be  searched  for 
than  the  north-west  passage.  The  study  of  natural 
phenomena  was  not,  however,  altogether  lost  sight  of, 
&B  appears  by  a  passage  from  the  instructions  issued 
onder  the  aulliority  of  Elizabeth  for  the  gallant  seaman's 
guidance.  "  Yf  yt  be  possible,"  so  runs  the  official 
document,  'you  shall  leave  some  persons  to  winter  in 
the  straight,  giving  them  instructions  how  they  may 
observe  the  nature  of  the  ayre  and  state  of  the  coun- 
trie,  and  what  tyme  of  the  yeare  the  straigh*  is  most  free 


Sm  HUMPHREY  GILBERT.  27 

from  ^cfl  ;  with  who  you  shall  leave  a  sufficient  propara- 
t.on  of  v,ctualls  and  weapons,  and  also  a  pynnL.  wut 
a  carpenter  and  thyngs  necessarie,  so  well  as  ma^  be  " 
Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert's  expedition  to  colonize  New- 
foundland  soon  followed.  This  naval  commander  wl 
distinguished    for    his    intellectual    acquirements     his 

l7TjiT%T-\'''T'-     "^  -^«  -arlyrelat  dt 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh.     In  1578,  he  obtained  full  power 

from  Queen  Elizabeth  to  undertake  a  voyage  of  d^c^v 
cry  on  the  continent  of  America,  and 'to' settle  such 
paits  as  no  Christian  prince  or  his  subjects  could  claim 

and  credita  ,e  to  his  talents,  upon  the  practicabihty  of 
a  nci  th-west  passage,  is  extant  in  Hakluyt 

In  1583   Sir  Humphrey  left  England,  on  his  second 

on    the    11th   of   June.      On    the    30th,   four  vessels 
were  in  sight  of  Newfoundland  ;  one  of  the  ship.,    om 
mandod  by  Captain  Butler,  and  the  property  ^f  sTr 
Walter    tl.en  Mr.  Raleigh,  having  ret'urn'ed  home  t 
On  To  f;rf  «••"-  f -d-  b-king  out  on  ZZ 

Tnd  to\  ^"^"'*  '^''^  '""'^'^^  ^'^  Newfoundland, 

and  took  possession  of  the  harbor  of  St.  John's,  in  the 
name  of  the  Queen  of  England.     A  discovery  was  made 
at  the  same  time  of  a  supposed  silver-mine,  by  a  sTol 
miner  brought  out  on  purpose  in  the  squadron      The 
vessels  remaining  with  Sir  Humphrey  at  this  time  were 
he  Delight,  Golden  Hinde,  Swallow,  and  Squirrel     The 
largest  vessel  was  but  one  hundred  and  twenty  tons 
while  the  smallest  was  only  ten.     The  Swallow  was 
Ben    hc>n,e  with  the  sick.     Sir  Humphrey  then  embarked 
in  tiie  bquirrel,  of  ten  tons. 

he  20th   of  August.      On  the   '21th.  he   was  in  la« 
tude  4.0,  ,,,th   fair   weather.     On   the  29*:;  ^torl^ 


28 


SIR  HUMPHREY  GILBERT. 


ff  If 


i! 


arose,  and  the  Delight,  the  largest  vess(  of  the 
squadron,  was  lost.  Sixteen  only  made  their  tdcape  in 
the  boat.  The  first  appearance  of  change  was  a  deuso 
fog,  which  enveloped  the  ships,  followed  by  a  gale  of 
wind,  south  by  east.  They  could  not  see  beyond  the 
head  of  the  vessel.  The  Golden  Ilinde,  all  of  a  sudden, 
got  entangled  among  rocks  and  shoals.  Tiio  Delight 
beat  still  further  in  among  them.  Finding  the  sound- 
ings constantly  varied,  a  signal  was  made  to  the  Delight, 
by  the  Golden  Ilinde,  to  stand  out,  but  it  remained 
unnoticed.  She  soon  afterwards  struck  on  a  shoal,  and 
ber  stern  was  quickly  beat  to  pieces.  This  was  a  fatal 
blow  to  the  prospects  of  Sir  Humphrey. 

The  Golden  Ilinde  and  Squirrel,  all  now  left  of  the 
five  ships  which  originally  set  sail  from  Plymouth,  stood 
east  by  south.     The  water  shoaled,  and  then  deepened 
from  four  to  seven  fathoms,  and  then  shoaled  to  four  or 
five  again,  with  a  very  high  sea.     At  the  time  the  De- 
light went  on  the  rocks,  her  boat  was  afloat  at  the 
etern,  it  having  fortunately  been  hoisted  out  the  day 
before,  when  the  weather  was  fine,  to  pick  up  some 
birds  which  had  been  shot.     Into  this  boat  a  part  of  the 
crew  were,  by  groat  exertion,  enabled  to  get,  and  to 
pick  up  others.     The  captain  and  a  hundred  of  the  crew 
perished  with  the  ship  ;  and  besides  the  Saxon  before 
mentioned,  who  said  he  had  discovered  the  silver  ore,  a 
learned  man  from  Buda,  in  Hungary,  called  Budajus  on 
board,  but  whose  name  was  Stephen  Parmenius,  who 
had  written  a  Latin  poem  in  praise  of  Sir  Humphrey, 
*nd  had  gone  out  to  write  an  account  of  the  voyage, 
»nd  whit  he  saw,  in  the  Latin  tongue,  was  among  the 
sufferers. 

The  bearing  of  Captain  Browne,  who  had  been  trans- 
ferred  from  the  Swallow  into  the  Delight,  was,  upon  this 
occasion,  of  the  most  heroic  character.     When  the  fate 


Sm   HUMPHREY  GILBERT.  29 

Of  the  vessel  was  seen  to  be  inevitable,  he  was  advised 

attempt,  lie  spurned  the  counsel,  refusing  to  set  the 
example  of  deserting  the  ship  and  abundoni.fg  tk>  1  r!  ' 
portion  of  the  crew,  who  could  have  no  hope  of  0"^ 
lie  cont„n.ed  to  the  last  to  exhort  those  on  lo  lit 
o  give  way  to  despair;  and  firmly  upon  the  d  ok  "f 
-vessel  he  awaited,  with  magnanin!ous  resig  tion 
ho  term,nat,on  of  the  catastrophe.  He  could  not  du  e 
iho  apprehension  of  a  reproach  for  leaving  his  ,1 

v.tho.  provisions  of  any  kind,  thoy  drifted  befoi'e  the 
ernpes  .  It  was  feared  the  boat  could  not  live  Lch 
longer  u.  such  a  sea  unless  lightened,  and  one  oHhe 
party,  by  name  Ileadley,  proposed  that  lots  s  ould  be 
drawn,  and  those  who  drew  the  four  shortes  tof  the 
number  should  be  thrown  overboard.  Thus  1  bette! 
chance  would  be  ailbrded  to  the  survivors  of  keep    g 

•'t  :;i\:r  :f-'^"'-  /^^^  '--^^  nob,y  ansj;:! 

duct  1 0th  of  .  '  "'.^''  ^"  '-^'"P^"^  ^  "  The  eon! 
duct  boh  of  the  captain  and  master  of  this  vessel 
exh.b.  od  that  striking  heroisn.  to  which  brav  t  L  tie 
held  of  battle  is  but  secondary  ^        ^ 

The  third  and  fourth  day  passed  over  the  heads  of 
these  unfortunate  men  without  sustenance,    l^iey  picked 
up  the  weed  borne  on  the  surface  of  the  foam    g  wate 
aroun,l   thorn,  and   eagerly  devoured    it,   drinkW    he 
sea-wuten      Their  strength  was  rapidly  leavwLm 

d^y      a',;;    f  f^;''Z'r'  -'Other,  died  on  the  fif 
da>.     AH  w,shed  ,t  would  please  God  to  take  them  out 
of    1  .n-  m,sory.     Since  they  had  left  the  ship,  th!  sun 
•^ud  been  but  once  visible.     All  the  nights  bu't  one  IZ 


30 


SIR  HUMPHREY   OILBEIIT 


been  starless,  so  that  the  darkness  augniciited  theii 
suflenng-s.  They  were  all,  except  the  master,  Richard 
Clarke,  praying  for  death.  On  the  sixth  day  after  the 
wreck,  Clarke,  calm  and  cullected,  still  endeavored  to 
comfort  them  with  the  hope  of  soon  making  the  land. 
They  expressec'  their  doubts  that  they  should  ever 
again  cast  their  eyes  on  the  welcome  shore.  lie  told 
them  to  throw  him  overboard  if  they  did  not  make  land 
on  the  seventh  day;  and  this  rallied  tlieir  spii  its,  for 
they  seem  to  have  reposed  great  trust  in  his  skill  and 
knowledge. 

The  seventh  day  broke,  and  one  hour  before  noou 
they  got  a  sight  of  the  shore.  In  the  afternoon  they 
landed,  but  were  so  weak  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
they  could  assist  each  other  out  of  the  boat.  They  fell 
on  their  knees  and  thanked  God  for  their  deliverance. 
The  stronger  then  helped  the  more  feeble  to  a  brook, 
where  they  refreshed  themselves  with  the  water,  and 
quenched  their  intolerable  thirst.  They  gathered  and 
ate  of  some  berries  they  found  growing  wild  near  the 
spot. 

The  next  day,  Clarke  divided  them  into  parties  of 
three,  to  search  for  food  ;  being  to  rendezvous  together 
at  noon,  with  what  they  could  collect,  for  the  common 
stock.  They  were  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  great 
quantity  of  peas  growing  wild.  For  three  days  they 
lived  on  these  peas  and  on  berries,  and  at  night  sheltered 
themselves  in  a  hut,  rudely  constructed  of  the  boughs 
of  trees. 

They  had  preserved  their  boat,  and,  being  a  little 
recovered  from  tlieir  former  feeble  state,  they  rowed 
along  the  shore,  with  the  design  of  making  the  Great 
Bay  of  Newfoundland,  which  was  then  annually  fre- 
quented by  Spaniards  engaged  in  the  whale  fishery. 
When   hungry,  they  landed  to  eat   bariies  and    peas 


SIR  irUMPIIREY  GILBERT 


31 


They  had  not  proceeded  fur  i.  this  way,  when  a  Spanish 
8h,p  foil  „>  w,th  them,  the  captain  of  wln'ch  proved  a 
kind  tad.  He  took  them  to  St.  Jean  de  Luz,  in  the 
Bay  of  Biscay  ;  a,.d  when  the  Spa,.iard8  came  on  board, 
told  hem  they  were  poor  fishermen  cast  away  at  New- 
foundland  He  set  them  on  shore  in  the  night,  only 
ten  nuU^  from  the  French  frontiers,  which  they  reached 
before  day  broke,  and,  thus  having  escaped,  travelled 
to  Eng  and  through  France,  where  they  safely  arrived 
about  tlie  end  of  the  year  1583. 

Their  history  having  thus  terminated,  it  will  be  proper 
to  go  back  to  the  Golden  Ilinde  and  Squin-el      The 
crews  of  these  ships,  dispirited  at  the  loss  of  the  best 
vessel  of  the  squadron,  still  continued  to  beat  about  in 
those  th.ck  fogs  which  are  so  common  on  the  shores  of 
Newfoundland.     The  crew  of  the  Squirrel,  already  on 
Bhort  a  iowance,   besought  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  to 
return  to  England.     The  crew  of  the   Golden   Ilinde 
joined  m   the   same   request.     Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert, 
whose  enthusiasm  did  not  seem  abated  by  his  disasters 
engaged  them  to  accompany  him  again  in  the  following 
sprn,g.    On  the  31st  of  August  they  altered  their  course 
during  a  fresh  breeze  and  high  sea,  and  directed  it  for 
their  native  land. 

Sir  Humphrey  had  hurt  his  foot,  and,  on  the  2d 
of  September,  went  on  board  the  Golden  Hinde  to  get 
t  dressed  by  the  surgeon  of  that  ship.  He  repeafed 
the  visit  to  partake  of  an  entertainment  with  the  captain, 
master  and  crew.  He  spoke  of  his  disappointment  on 
losing  his  papers  and  some  ore  which  the  Saxon  refiner 
had  procured  m  Newfoundland,  which  had  been  lost  in 
the  Delight.  The  Squirrel  was  overloaded,  having 
heavy  artilory  on  board,  and  things  on  deck  so  mncl 
above  her  tonnage,  that  her  situation  at  that  season  of 
the  year  was  considered  dangerous  by  those  on  boar*' 


I 


32 


DAVIS. —  BARENTZ. 


he  il.ndo.     They  advised  Sir  Humphrey  to  shift  into 

he  larger  vessel.     He  generously  replied  in  tl.o  nega- 

tive.     "I  will    not,"  said   he,  "now  desert  my  little 

vessel  and  crew,  after  we  have  encountered  so  many 

perils  and  storms  together." 

The  Golden  Ilinde  supplied  the  boat  of  t  xo  Squirrel 
witli  what  provisioT.s  were  necessary,  and  Sir  Humphrey 
rouu-ned  in  it  to  that  ship.    They  were  then  about  three 
hundred  leagues  on  their  voyage  to  England.     A  vessel 
of  ten  tons,  laden  like  the  Squirrel,  was  too  small  to 
resist   the   waves    in    the   Atlantic.      On   the   9th    of 
September  she  foundered,  and  Sir  Humphrey  perished 
when  they  were  in  the  latitude  of  England.     The  Squir' 
rel  was  near  foundering  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same 
day  she  went   down  ;  at  which   time,  and  when   they 
were  in  imminent  danger.  Sir  Humphrey  was  seen  from 
the  Hinde,  sitting  in  the  stern  of  the  ship  with  a  book 
in  his  hand,  and  was  heard  to  call  out,  "Courage,  my 
lads  !  we  are  as  near  heaven  at  sea  as  on  land  '  "     It 
was  about  twelve  o'clock  at  night  when  the  ship  went 
down.  '■ 

The  three  voyages  by  Davis,  in   1585-88,  enlarged 
the  hmits  of  research.     By  the  discovery  of  the  strait 
which  still  bears  his  name,  he  opened  the  way  to  Baffin's 
Bay  and  the  Polar  Sea  ;  he  also  surveyed  a  considerable 
extent  of  the  Greenland  coast.     Various  attempts  to 
had  a  passage  were  also  made  during  this  century  by 
Spaniards,  French,  Danes,  and  Dutch,  those  of  the  last- 
mentioned  nation  being  the  most  memorable.     To  avoid 
the  risk  of  a  voyage  to  India  across  the  ocean,  over 
which  Spain  claimed  the  supremacy,  they  sought  for  a 
shorter  passage  by  the  north-east. 

The  three  voyages  by  William  Barentz,  1594-96 
afford  striking  examples  of  dangers  encountered,  and 
manful  perseverance  in  struggling  against  them.     He 


BARENTZ. 


33 


n„»e,,e,   and  griefc,  .„   »tay  aU  ^S  :     „  frL"'"' 
exerted  t  lemsolvos  +»  f»>     \  winier.        ii,ev 

retood  ..„„  .a„  .,,at  we  t  jd  „fgo:C:  "i, !'  " 
but  rather  becarao  faster,  and  could  m!f .  "' 

««  at  other  times  wo  had  dm,e  ..1  .,  "  ""'  ''">' 
be  w,-e.or.  we  to„,o  l^^^^Zrltu  '"'"  '° 
best  to  doe,  accordi.iff  to  tho  tm,»  .r!  ""» 

.here,  a„d  attend  surad'::!'; 'r;:,™^  ;;■■■"'- 
"3  ;  and  after  wo   h'ld    r1<>h..f    i  "'^'  ^^'"^ 

koopo  and  defend     u  seh^^  t'h"r   "f   """^'^  ^^^ 
wiide  Loastos),  we  detected  "    TZ  a  L"'''  ^"' 
the  land,  to  keepe  us  therein  as  well  a      'o  e  '^"^":; 
-  to  commit  ourselves  unto  the  tul^Ln  of  G  d   '    mi 
casting  about  for  material  for  the  edifice  to  ti,  • 
joy  they  discovered  a  quantity  of  rr'.,"'' ^'''^^* 
they  regarded  as  a  Ll  I  "^^  *""^°'"'  ^^'"'"h 

in  their  beh'lf   and  '^  interposition  of  Providence 

good  h.pe  th't  God  7r.  "'"'^'  ''''"'^^^^d'  ^^^-S  in 
for  that  ^o  It  a7s  nott'T  7  T""^  '''''''  ^^^^ ' 
also  to  burne,  a  se  ^  ^I'^th:  f  "T  '""^^'  ^"* 
^•se,  without  all  doubt  we  IJTI  u  ^""^  =  °*'^^^- 
^ith  extreme  cold''  ^^  ^^''^  ^^^''^  '"-^^''ablv 

'-In-ch  i:bor     hey  were  i'''^  '"  h-ndsleds,  in 

-r-tyX-srir-r:^,^v-; 


41 


34 


BARENTZ. 


bctwwn  his  lipn,  tho  Hkin  camo  off  with  na  imicli  pain, 
on  taking  it  out  again,  as  though  tho  iron  had  boon  rod 
not ;  yt't,  notwithHtanding  tho  cohl,  then;  vuh  open  Roa 
for  many  wcoks  an   "arrovv-Hhut"   beyond  their  Hhip. 
The  dwelling,  sloW  in  progrcHS,  wuh  finished  by  tho  end 
of  October,  and  tliatehed  with  sea-wrack,  tho  nioro  effect, 
ually  to  eloMo  the  ciiinks  in  tho  roof  and  walls,  ami  "  we 
set  up  our  dyall,  and  made  tho  clocko  strike."     On  the 
4th  of  Novenjbor  "  wee  saw  tho  Bunno  no  more,  for  it 
was  no  longer  above  tho  horison  ;  then  our  chirurgion 
made  a  bath  (to  bathe  us  in)  of  a  wine-()ipe,  wherein 
weo  entred  one  after  tho  other,  and  it  di<l  us  much 
good,  and  was  a  great  meanes  of  our  health."     All  tho 
Bpaj;e  clothing  was  distributed,  regulations  established 
with  regard  to  diet,  and  duties  apportioned  ;  the  master 
and  pilot  being  exempted  "rom  cleaving  wood,  and  other 
rude  labors.     Traps  were  set  to  catch  foxes  for  food, 
and  cheerfulness  was  as  much  aa  possible  promoted  ; 
but  at  times  they  were  snowed  up,  and  could  not  open 
their  door  for  many  days,  and  iiud  no  light  but  that  of 
their  (ire  ;  they  were  tormented  with  smoke,  while  ice 
two  inches  thick  formed  in  their  sleeping-berths.     T!io 
clock   stopped  with   the   cold,  after  which   they  could 
only  reckon  time  by  "the  twelve-hour  glass." 

The  misery  they  endured  may  be  judged  of  l.y  the 
tone  of  some  of  the  entries  in  their  journal  ;  such  suffer- 
ing was  but  too  frequent:  "It  was  fcmlo  weather 
agaiiio,  with  an  easterly  wind  and  extreame  co'd,  almost 
not  to  bee  indured  ;  whereupon  weo  lookt  pittifully  one 
upon  the  other,  being  in  great  feare  that  if  tho  extream- 
itie  of  tne  cold  grew  to  beo  more  and  more,  wee  should 
all  dye  there  with  cold  ;  for  that  what  fire  soever  wee 
made  it  would  notwarme  us  ;  yea,  and  oursacke,  which 
IS  so  hot,  was  frozen  very  hard,  so  that  when  vfo  were 
everj'  man  to  have  his  part,  we  were  forced  to  melt  it 


BARENTZ. 


.35 


«■  c<.oio  it  „i„,  „„„:"' ' , "" """'"'' '"" 

II.  it  ..„t  ,.ltl,„  ,„„w."  '  ""  """  '"'«'"'  '" 

liiiioji  Irc.ze  i,    ,„|  i„„,||,|,  ,  L 

*om  into  a„I;    t     "  ""7"""'"".  ™d  ll.o  da»hi„g 

.1.  oact„r„7  .„j :  r:  rct'^ """«"'  ••' 

from  nirrht  Hm  »,„        .•  •  '"^  '^"^-'^  ""t  day 

"  iiigni,  ifie  moon  Bliiniurr  ).fi'»i.<i         ^-v  •' 

*«(!  made  im  a  troorl  fJm  •    \\  ^  ^  "^'"'^  «oa'«. 

^'ver,  from  the  vapor  -for  f  "''"■''"^  '^^^''P^'  ''«^- 
tl'o  hut  to  koop  i  X  hit  "'"'?  '"^''^  "P^"-^"^"  of 
.nan,  who  was^"  i  J  rfi^tr  ,"  '""'''^'  '^  «- 
^l>Ie  to  bear  it,  and'  tS  t  ^r I  T^f  T?^''"^ 
vertigo,  and  could  scarcely  17  \ul  T1  "''" 
opened,  when  tho  first  who  roa  h 'i  i  ,  h  7'  ""'' 
the  sno^v.     Gerard  ,]o  v  ^"'-''  '^  '^''  ^"wn  luint  on 

^prinkiin,^;::^:^,'-:,:-;-^^-'^!'^^^ 

i"g  in  restored  them  a.lin      a      I  /   '''^'  ''''  "'«''• 

Borved  out  to  each  n    ,f  r;^/  ^T"  '^'^^^•"«^««  then 
On   the   lufhrn  '''''''"' ^"'"P'«tely. 


3G 


BARENTZ 


I 


skins,  and  put  on  several  pairs  of  socivs  togotlior,  to  keep 
their  feet  in  heat.  The  ice  was  an  inch  thick  on  the  sides 
of  their  hut,  and  when  they  went  out  in  clear  weatlier 
their  clothes  became  white  with  frost  and  ice.  They 
increased  the  size  of  their  fire,  but  from  their  recent 
warning  kept  an  opening  for  tlie  smoke.  They  iiad 
used  all  the  wood  laid  up  in  their  hut  by  the  middle  of 
January,  and  they  were  obliged  to  shovel  away  the 
snow  on  the  '.utside  to  get  at  a  fresh  stock.  This  they 
found  a  task  of  great  difficulty,  from  the  exccssivt. 
rigor  of  the  climate.  A  party  also  proceeded  to  the 
ship,  but  found  her  frozen  up  as  before,  and  the  ice 
accumulated  within.  They  caught  a  fox  in  the  cabin, 
which  they  took  to  tlieir  hut  and  ate. 

They  had  been  economical  of  their  wine,  but  they 
kept  Twelfth  night  with  savings  from  their  scanty  allow- 
ance, thus  making  as  merry  as  tiieir  dismal  situation 
would  permit.  They  fancied  themselves  at  home  in 
'Holland.  They  made  pancakes  with  meal  and  oil,  and, 
soaking  biscuit  in  their  wine,  drank  to  the  three  kings 
of  Cologne,  and  comforted  themselves  as  if  they  had 
been  at  a  "great  feast."  They  drew  lots  who  should 
be  king  of  Nova  Zembla,  and  it  fell  to  the  gunner  to  be 
the  monarch  of  that  domain  of  cold  and  desolMion.  In 
short,  they  made  themselves  as  happy  as  if  they  had 
been  in  their  own  houses  among  the  dykes  of  Holland. 
Thus  does  enjoyment,  even  in  the  most  adverse  times, 
c  »me  to  the  very  portal  of  misery  at  the  mind's  bidding. 

They  had  stormy  weather  for  several  succeeding  days, 
lill  about  the  15th  of  January,  during  which  they 
confined  themselves  to  their  hut.  Tliey  heard  tiie  foxes 
running  over  their  heads,  but  could  not  catch  them, 
which  they  regretted,  as  their  provisions  were  beginning 
to  run  short.  The  intense  cold  absorbed  every  other 
sensation.      They  applied  hot  stones  to  their  feet  and 


BAKENTZ 


37 


bodies  t.  keep  them  warm:  comforting  themselves  that 
now  the  sun  was  about  returning  to  them  whhluuT 
patience  he  would  warm  and  giadcL  themTg ^ t  ,  t  ! 
beams.  Even  s.tting  before  their  fire,  tlaeirLckrwou M 
become  white  with  frost,  while  their  stockings  wou'de 
bun.ed  before  they  could  feel  the  heat  to  thefr  flet 

They  visited   their  ship  a  second   time    and   fonnH 
races  of  bears  ;  and,  going  below,  discove;erttete1 
foot  lugner  in  the  hold   than  it  had   been  or  'inX 

Gerard  de  Veer  and  Jacob  Heemskirk,  going  with  a 

24th  of  January,  the  day  being  clear,  saw  the  ed^e  of 
the  sun  above  the  horizon.     They  imnartoH  fj.!      i 
news  to  their  friends   b„t  i.;^,    ^''"P'''^*^^  *''«  welcome 
fj.„       .  inenus,  but  J3arentz  was    ncredulous    a« 

the  return  was  thought  too  earlv  hv  f.  ,  ,'  **« 
For  two  days  afterwards  thov  h:^  ^  '*''"  ^''^'' 
verifyino-  tJio  f.J  !     I  ^""^  "°  opportunity  ofl 

and  clouV  '        '''  "'^^'^'^^   ^^'"^  ^'-^ 

Thoy  lost  one  of  their  number  on  the  26th  •  he  had 

A  .light  relaxation  of  c!  I,   i    F    L^rjf  n    "I""' 
the  no.,  „„„.h  by  „„,j  „f  n,crcrcd   too?    T  7      '° 

"..^sod  «„,,  and  11,0  „„i„a,  „„„  down ' the.tp  ^v 
tad  cut  n.  tho  snow  directly  ag„in.t  thoir  dooT  The 


M 


38 


BARENTZ. 


captain,  frightened  and  confused,  could  not  fix  the  ba> 
of  wood  which  usually  constituted  the  fastening,  but  they 
contrived  to  hold  the  door  home  so  fast  that  the  animal 
could  not  enter,  and  it  then  walked  away.  The  creature 
soon  returned  again,  roaring  around  the  hut,  to  the  great 
terror  of  the  inmates  ;  at  last  it  got  on  the  roof,  which 
they  feared  it  would  have  broken,  being  quite  furious. 
A  sail  hoisted  on  the  outside  of  the  hut  the  bear  tore 
to  pieces  in  his  anger.     No  other  injury  ensued. 

The  sea  began  to  open,  as  early  as  the  middle  of 
March,  to  withiTi  seventy-five  paces  of  the  ship  ;  though 
a  new  frost  came  on,  and  increased  the  di.slance  to  live 
hundred  on  Jie  4th  of  May.  They  did  not  wait  to 
see  whether  their  vessel  might  again  bo  serviceable. 
They  preferred  the  chance  of  going  in  their  boats,  and 
of  venturing  in  them  to  cross  a  sea  three  or  four  hundred 
leagues  rather  than  to  trust  an  uncertain  event. 

Tliey  now  set  about  preparations  for  departure.  They 
repaired  their  two  boats,  and  had  good  hope  "  to  get 
out  of  that  wilde,  desart,  irkesome,  fearfull,  and  cold 
countrey."  On  the  13th  of  June  the  survivors, 
twelve  in  number,  left  the  desolate  shore,  after  a  stay  of 
ten  months.  Their  privations  and  exposures  in  small 
boats,  in  an  ice-encumbered  sea,  may  be  imagined. 
Three  of  them  perished,  worn  out  with  disease.  The 
indefatigable  Barentz  himself  at  last  succumbed.  They 
had  passed  Icy  Cape  two  days  before.  This  cape  is  "a 
headland  in  Nova  Zembhi  in  the  Arctic  Ocean.  It  is  in 
hit.  75°  N.  ;  Ion.  70°  E.  ;  a  bleak  and  lofty  promon- 
tory. 

As  thoy  wore  approaching  this  capo.  Barentz  asked 
if  they  had  yet  reached  it :  and,  on  being  told  it  was  in 
eight,  requested  he  might  be  lifted  up  to  see  it  once 
more,  the  ruling  passion  of  this  adventurous  seaman 
being   strong   in    death.     About   nine   o'clock    on   the 


[39] 


H 


BARENTZ. 


4] 


mornmg  of  the   20th..  it  was  communicated   to   those 
"^ho  were  in  the  launch  that  Claes  Andriz  rvas  near  his 
end,  he  being  in  the  other  boat.     Barentz  then  told  hi. 
companions  he  should  not  long  survive  Andriz      He 
was  at  the  moment  examining  a  chart  of  all  the  coun- 
nes  and  objects  they  had  seen  on  their  voyage,  made 
l>y  Gerard  de  Veor.     No  one  suspected  that  wLat  he 
«aid  was  so  immediately  to  be  fulfilled.     Putting  the 
chart  on  one  side,  he  asked  De  Veer  to  give  him  some- 
thing to  drink.     Barentz  swallowed  what  was  given 
him,  and  found  himself  worse  immediately:    his  eves 
moved  rapidly  about  for  a  moment,  and  he  died  so  sud- 
denly they  had  not  time  to  call  the  captain,  who  was  in 
the  other  boat.     Andriz   expired   at   nearly  the  same 
moment.     The  death  of  Barentz  was  a  severe  blow  to 
his  companions.     Upon  his  experience  and  knowledge 
m  navigation  they  relied  for  their  safety  in  the  future 
conduct  of  their  navigation  during  a  perilous  voyage  in 
boato,  they  hardly  knew  whither. 

They  struggled  on,  however,  manfully  overcoming 

he  perils  that  beset  them  ;  and  in  September  reache! 

the  coast  of  Lapland,  where  "  wee  saw  some  trees  on  the 

nver  side,  which  comforted  us  and  made  us  glad,  as  if 

Zl  )t\  *'''"  T"""  ^"*°  "  "'^  ^^^^^  ■'  ^"r-  "»  -»  the 
time    hat  wee  had  been  out,  wee  had  not  seone  any 

trees.  On  the  eleventh  of  the  same  month,  after  a 
voyage  of  eleven  hundred  and  forty-three  miles,  these 
brave-hearted  men  set  up  their  boats  in  the  "  Merchants' 
house,  at  Coola,  as  "  a  sign  and  token  of  their  deliv- 
erance ;  and,  embarking  on  board  a  Dutch  ship,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  weeks  once  more  set  foot  in  their  native 
country. 

The  survivors  appeared  before  the  people  of  Araster- 
dam  in  the  dress  they  wore  at  Nova  Zambia.  Curiosity 
was  awakened  everywhere  respecting  tii^m.     They  were 


42 


HUDSON, 


{ .  .t 


tdsen  to  the  ministers  of  foreign  states,  at  the  Ilaguti, 
to  relate  their  perils  and  give  an  account  of  the  frigid 
land,  which  none  of  the  southern  natives  had  visited 
before.  Their  treatment  on  their  arrival  home  must,  in 
those  days,  have  been  an  ample  compensation  to  the 
survivors  for  their  past  suffe-:    -- 

One  of  the  boldest  of  early  ■  '  ^rs,  and  one  of  the 

most  successful,  was  Henry  H  .    .n.  the  di -cover-r  of 
the  immense  bay  which  will  carry  his  name  and  unfor- 
tunate end  to  the  latest  times.     This  intrepid  mariner 
first  distinguished  himself  in  1607,  being  sent  out  by  the 
Muscovy  Company  on  a  voyage,  with  instructions  to 
penetrate  directly  to  the  pole.     He  succeeded  in  push- 
ing north  as  far  as  latitude  81^»,  and  returned  home 
after  coasting  Spitzbergen,  with  the  conviction,  which 
modern  experience  has  not  impugned,  thai  a  passage 
to  the  pole  was  completely  barred  out  by  the  ice  in  that 
direction.     In    1608,  he  again  set  sail,  to  decide  the 
practicability  of  a  north-east  passage,  then  a  favorite 
subject  of  debate  in  the  maritime  countries  of  Europe 
He  saw  North  Cape  on  the  3d  of  June,  and  reached 
latitude   7o^  when  he  got  among  the   ice.     He  now 
pushed  on  in  tlie  parallels  of  74°  and  75^  to  the  east> 
ward,  and  made  the  coast  of  Nova  Zembla,  in  latitude 
72°  25';  but,  finding  a  further  course  impracticable   lie 
returned,  with  the  conviction  that  there  was  no  hope 
of  a  north-east  passage  ;  and  here  again  time  has  proved 
his  judgment  to  have  been  correct. 

The  Dutch  sent  him,  in  1609,  to  try  this  passage 
again  ;  but  he  gave  it  up,  after  passing  Wardhuys,  and 
returning  past  North  Cape,  crossed  to  the  coast  of 
America,  where  he  searched  for  a  passage,  and  discov- 
ered the  bay  on  which  New  York  now  stands,  and  the 
magnihcent  river  named  after  him,  the  Hudson  On 
the   nth  of  April,  1610,  Hudson  set  sail  in  a  vessel 


HUDSON. 


43 


«l.ip  touched  a.  the  oZlytl  ZT,  ,"'";""•     ■""' 
tlio  nil,  of  Mav   tlw.  „  ?  '''"'"''•  ""''■  °" 

■ooM  aftonvards  with  a  ml  „f  !°°"'  '  """  '"'  '" 

wc.wa.d  .0. .,.' '■„:;;r„trr  zr  v'^ 

Diidson  entered  a  port  in  f  l.o  ^     .i  •"^'"^ 

kniod  a  ."a„.u,r;idt:r';r  *;;tr*=^ 

again  obliffed  to  n„f  K.^i        -I,        ^       ^^'  ""*  ^^re 

.'e  .,arborb„rfo«  „s  :^7i:^t'  "".'^ '-  "* 

where  they  found  bopiT  h  /  '  '"'°"'"  '"'™n, 

.«o':tier.r;":rjdt:f'-«-„,a„d.'a„d 

proved  to  be  fo^     n    '         °  "'"  """'"""-d,  but  it 

Oree,„a„dap;ea,td,  .r,  ""'"T  I""  '»,"'"'  ">»' 
a  vast  barrio,,  of  ice.  •  £  day  "  T  Z".  """''  "'"' 
saw  Greenland  Dcrfectiv  „       T     "ays  Hudson,  "we 

the.unwentdow    due^^r      and"  ""' '  """  '"'»  "'e"' 

»o,  piyin.  the  h-fth  d:;:rteri:T5.r''-"°*--^ 

Capo"Der,::?;':^poTr:d'„nr„  a„d   north-west.  «„ 
i^ptarea  on  the  western  side.     Here 


44 


HUDSON. 


they  saw  a  groat  number  of  whales.     They  now  made 

their  course  north-west,  the  wind  preventing  them  from 

Bailing  more  to  the  north,  and  here  they  first  lell  in  with 

the  icebergs.   At  the  end  of  June  thoy  saw  an  island,  pe^ 

haps  Resolution  Island.     Hudson  would  still  have  sailed 

more  to  the  north,  but  the  wind  would  not  permit ;  so  he 

went  south  of  the  island,  and  found  the  current  settinc 

to  the  west.     They  entered  the  stream,  and  were  carried 

north  west,  until  they  fell  in  with  ice,  which  was  attached 

to  the  shore.     Hudson  then  kept  to  the  south  and  west 

again,  through   floating  ice,  upon   which   they   found 

numerous  seals.     They  now  had  a  clear  sea,  and  sailed 

until   they   again   encountered   icebergs,    and    floating 

pieces  of  ice,  keeping  north-weat.     They  saw  an  ice- 

berg  overturn,  and  took  warning  from  it  not  to  approach 

too  near  them  in  future  ;  yet  they  were  soon  obliged  to 

take  shelter  between  two  masses,  owing  to  a  storm,  and 

there  lie  snug. 

On  the  cessation  of  the  storm,  they  stood  on,  as  the:» 
found  It  clear  enough  of  ice  around  them  to  venture 
The.r  course  lay  with  the  ice,  and  whenever  it  permitted 
them  to  make  a  passage  they  moved  with  it,  though  ' 
Btill  enclosed.  Hudson,  trying  to  get  clear  of  it  by 
Bteenng  south,  found  the  more  he  tried  the  worse  they 
were  off,  until  he  could  go  no  further.  Here  the  navi- 
gator  himself  was  in  despair,  thinking  they  should  never 
get  out  of  it.  He,  therefore,  brought  out  his  chart,  and 
showed  the  crew  that  they  had  sailed  a  hundred  leagues 
further  than  any  of  their  countrymen  had  gone  before, 
and  left  it  to  them  to  eay  whether  they  should  proceed 
further  or  not.  Some  seem  to  have  replied  one  way 
and  some  another,  but  there  was  evidently  much  growl- 
ing  and  discontent  among  thom.  After  much  labor  they 
got  clear,  and  shaped  their  course  north  and  north-west- 
It  IS  most  probable  that  the  commander,  seeing  the  dis- 


HUDSON. 


45 


took  hi        '       °'  '"  "■^"'  ^"^^^  "-  --'■—  -d 
to  k      H  own  course.     He  still  seems  to  have  relied 

up  .Ins  own  resources  an<l  courage,  and  to  have  con- 

envu  oned  by  the  ,ce,  yet  often  in  a  clear  sea.  He  found 
a  harbor  a.nong  some  islands,  which  ho  nan.ed  the  •'  Is"' 

Ihey  saw  a  bay  to  the  north,  with  a  large  iceberu 
aground  wh,ch  afterwards  floated  away.  They  took  S 
dr.ft.wood,  which  they  found  cast  up  on  the  sho^^ 

After  a  good  deal  of  sailing  to  the  south  and  north- 
west   and  west,  and  then  south,  as  the  intricate  ...  v^a- 
tiun  requu-ed,  they  stood  to  the  westward  in  a  cle!r 
open   sea    and   saw   three   headlands,    which   Jl.dsoa 

Anne  s.  Ihey  now  proceeded  north  to  double  the  head- 
la.  ds  unfl  they  saw  the  north  shore,  on  which  Hudson 
put  about  until  he  ,uade  the  south  land  again  but  very 
™nch  to  the  west  of  what  he  expected:  owing  "a 
«rongcu.-.-e..t  which  arose,  no  doubt,  from  thcMi„ 
of  the  t.de    0    he  great  bay  which  bea.-s  his  name.    They 

Mount  Charles  ;  and  soon  after  a  cape,  which  was  called 
Cape  babsbury.     Still  proceeding  along  the  south  shore 
hc^  came  to  an  island,  distant  from  the  mainland  about' 
two  .>agues,  one  pomt  of  which   they  named  Deepe's 
Cape,  the  other  Wolstenholme's.     At  this  isla..d  '  ho 
ooat  was  se..t  on  sho..  to  make  discoveries.     Those  in 
t  were  o^^.■taken  by  a  storm,  but  they  succeeded    n 
and,ug  and  climbing  up  the  .-ocks,  who'  they    ame   o 
ome  level  ground,  in  which  they  found  a  herd  of  deer 
but  could  not  get  within  musket-shot  of  them.     0„  2 
■Bl-d  they  found  plenty  of  fowl,  a..d  some  exc  lie 
herbage,  also  sorrel  and  scur^•y  grass.     They  saw  som 
hollow  cells  of  Btoue,  in  which  they  found  a  quantity  of 


46 


HUDSON. 


fowls  huiiy  up  by  the  necks.     The  ship  now  fired  a  gun 
to  call  ofr  the  i)coplc  who  had  landed,  for  a  fog  had  come 
on.      Upon   returning  on   board,    Hudson    would    not 
Btay   to    refresh    on   the    island,   as  some  of   the  crew 
recommended,  but  i)roceeded,  his  mind,  no  (^oubt,  con- 
templating  the  discovery  of  the  great  sea  on  which  he 
was  about  to  enter. 
At  this  lime  it  was  that  the  discontent,  which  had  no 
.    uoubt  been  increasing  on  board,  was  visited  by  an  ex- 
ercise  of  the  commander's  authority.     Some  discussion, 
It  appears,  took  place  about  entering  a  bay,  and  going 
out  of  it.     On   this  occasion,  Hudson  is  said  to  have 
revived  some  old  grudge,  and  to  have  di8pla(;ed  one 
Juet   from    the    situation    of  mate, ,  and    degraded    the 
boatswain  for  words  which  had  been  spoken  some  time 
before,  making  Billet,  or  Bylot,  his  mute,  and  AVniiam 
Wilson  his  boatswain.     The  crew  thought  it  harsh  in 
Hudson  to  revive  this  old  affair.     They  were  obedient 
however,  and  sailed  again  in  a  northerly  direction  untQ 
they  saw  land,  and  then  to  the  south,  and  so  on  from 
land    to   land,  on    the  opposite   side    the    straits.     On 
Michaelmas   day  they   entered  a  bay,   which   Hudson 
named  Michaelmas  Bay.     They  afterwards  stood  to  the 
north  until  they  came  into  shoal  water,  with  thick  foggy 
weather.     They  were   now  obliged  to  anchor,  and  so 
reman.od  for    eight    days,    when,  the    wind   dropping, 
Hudson  insisted  on  heaving  the  anchor  up,  against  the- 
opinions   of  those   on    board.     While    the   crew   w(.re 
lifting  the  anchor,  a  sea  struck  the  ship,  and  knocked 
all  hands  from  the  capstan,  several  of  whom  were  much 
hurt.    They  lost  an  anchor,  and  would  have  lost  all  their 
cable,  bad  not  the  carpenter  fortunately  been  by  with 
an  axe  and  cut  it. 

They  now  stood  to  the  south  and  south-west,  through 
a  sea  clear  of  obstructions,  but  changing  In    soundings 


^■:Ai 


HUDSON. 


47 


twelve  ;„"',"t  ,""'^  '""■ ""''  '""-""">  tat  S 

8ont  to  explore  wore 'if  (ir«/  country.     The   party 

r.r  V         T       .  "^^^  unsuccessful,  but  on  tli.>  1  st 

f  Noven^bor  they  found  a  place  where  they  migh    hlu 
•'o.r   vessel   aground.     By   the   tenth   day   th'y  wZ 
^-on  „,  and  began  to  look  at  their  stock  o'^pr  vhL 
when  they  ound  they  n,ust  be  fed  upon  such  I  allow 
anco  as  would  hardly  keep  in  life,  or  last  the      to  t^o 

•ij  iiu  couia,  and  onored  a  rew.arrl  fr.  fi,^„^ 
who  added  to  the  general  stock,  by  kill";  t  at  ,  I 
aT.yth.ng  serviceable  for  food.  In  this  th^y  ml  ave 
.ad  success,  or  their  subsistence  fro.  Apdl,  t "       th 

::;zz::r '"'''"''''''-'-'''' ^'-^^-^^ 

It  appears  that,  on  taking  up  their  winter  quarters  it 
bad    een  proposed  to  Hudson  to  erect  a  hous   ouZr' 

ptctLble"^"T;'e^"*  ''''  '''''''  ^^"^ -•"•'«  '*  -- 
practicable      The   severe   northern  winter  had   set  in 

when  he  altered  his  n,ind,  and  desired  the  carpenter  to 

put  >    .n  hand.     The  latter  said  he  neither  c'ould  no 

Tal   t  h  "*  '*•     ""'^^"  P"'-^-^^  t«  strike   hiZ 

ralhn^  h,m  names,  and  threatened  to  hang  him.     T^e 


48 


HUDSON. 


carpenter  nmdo  Iuh  rojoitulcr  by  tcllii.jr  UmUini  bo  know 
hiH  duty,  —  that  ho  waH  no  liouHo-carpenter.  Snih,  at 
leant,  JH  the  story  of  Pricket,  one  of  those  who  ca'ine 
homo  in  the  vesBoI  ;  but  the  Hubsequei.t  noble  conduct 
of  the  carpenter,  in  relusing  to  dcHort  IlndHo;),  shown 
that  the  hitter  nu.Ht  have  stood  high  in  h.i  esteem  and 
aflection,  notwithstandinpf  this  altercation.  The  house 
was  ultimately  built,  but  proved  to  bo  of  no  use. 

The  winter  was  intensely  cohl,  and  the  ship's  com- 
pany ill    provided    with    necessaries.     Their  snfleringg 
were  great,  and  most  of  them  were  lamed,  or  some  way 
injured.     They  eked  out  their  provisions  by  wiM  (bwl 
of  several  kinds,   having    taken  more   than  a  hundred 
dozen  of  "white   partridges,"    as   they  styled   them 
When  these  birds  left  in  the  spnng,  they  had  swans, 
geese,  ducks,  and  teal.     When  these  had  gone  away 
they  devoured  moss,  frogs,  and  buds.     One  of  the  crew 
having  brought  the  buds  of  a  tree  full  of  some  substance 
like  turpentine,  a  decoction  of  it  was  made  by  the  sur- 
geon   for  drink,  and   much   case  was   experienced    by 
applying  it  hot  to  their  frozen  limbs.     While  the  spring 
lasted,  about  the  time   the   ice  was   breaking  up    the 
savages  visited  them,  and  they  trafficked  with   tliem 
and  gave  the  crow  furs  in  exchange  for  knives,  looking' 
glas'jes,  and  buttons. 

Hudson  now  prepared  to  return  home.  He  delivered 
out  the  last  pound  of  bread  to  each  man,  just  as  they 
were  preparing  for  along  and  perilous  voyage,  without 
provisions  for  the  entire  crew  for  more  than  ten  days  • 
and  also  gave  what  Pricket  calls  a  "  bill  of  .vturne  '' 
that  If  ever  they  got  home  they  might  show  it,  -  and 
he  wept  as  he  gave  it  to  them.  Fourscore  small  fish 
taken  just  afterwards,  were  a  seasonable  relief  t.^  thein 
though  but  little  towards  satisfying  their  hunger  beyond 
the  moment. 


UUDSON 


49 


They  now  Hot  «all,  and  came  to  anchor  in  tl.c  «ca  of 
that   nnrnenHo   bay,    in   wl.ich    the    d-Mcc.ero      havinl 

ZrtZ  H  """■"  ""'''"'"  '""'^^'  =  "^^  ^=''<-'--  only 

zj'hL:;::.;''^"^^^'°^'''''^''^'^'^'^->^^nudso^ 

iiut  a  report  cahunnic.ns  of  Hudson,  for  secretins 
.read  was  now  spread  a,non^  tho  en,;.  The  1  o"f 
te..t  which  had  been  for  son.e  ti.no  excited  by  o  Je  GroZ 
a  worthless  fellow,  whon.  Hudson  had  befricnul  Ck  ' 
out  into  open  n.utiny  on  the  21st  of  J  .  '  tL 
ship  8  company,  both  sick  and  well,  were  in  berths  d  1 
persed  generally  two  and  two  about  the  ship  Ki' 
ono  of  the  crew  who  was  supposed  to  be  ft'i  „dTy  fo 

n    the    hold  by  fastening  down   the   hatches.     Green 
then  went  and  held  the   carpenter  i„  conversation  to 
amuse    hnn     while    two    of   the    crew,    keep^   just 
before    Hudson,  and   one,  named  W.Ison,  behind  lim 
bound    h.s    hands.     Ho  asked  what  the^  were  ab^' 

:;::^it'r;f"'^^'-''"''''""^-^'-^''-«^^^ 
^^ShoM::c':i::':^?T*'"^"^''^^''^ 

us  Hwo    .     He  came  upon  deck  to  Hudp  ,n,  whom  he 
ound  w.th  h,s  hands  tied.     Hudson  was  heard  to  caU 
|>  the  carpenter,  and  tell  him  he  was  bound.     Two  o 
the   devo  ed  party,    who   were  sick,    told    the    mut 
noers  theu  knavery  would  be  punish  d.     ThJv  paid  nl" 
a  tent.on  ;    the    shallop   was    hauled    up  to  ''th?  sid 
.'>n.o  vessel,  and  the  sick  and  lame  wer'e  made  to ^ej 

vessel,  asked  them  if  they  would  not  be  ha.iffed  when 
*.th  them,  prcfern«g  to  share  the  fate  of  Hudson  and 


60 


HUDSON. 


I^:'J 


the   8>ck  men.     He   den.anded  his  chest,  which  waa. 
ffiven  lum,  and  put  into  the  boat.     The  names  of  the 
persons  put  out  of  the  sln'p  wore  Henry  Hudson,  John 
Hudsoa,  Arnold   Lodlo,  Sydrack  Faner,  Phillip  Stafll- 
Thomas  Wodohouse,  Adam  Moore,  Henry  King,  and 
Michael  Bate.    The  carpenter  contrived  to  get  a  musket, 
powder  and  shot,  some  pikes,  an  iron  pot,  some  meal 
and  a  few  other  necessaries.     The  crew  then  cast  the 
boat  off  the  ship,  loosened  the  topsails,  and  stood  out 
to  sea,  steering  to  the  eastward.     The  boat  in  which 
were  Hudson  and  his  companions  was  seen  no  more, 
uor  was  it  ever  heard  of  again. 

The  mutineers  now  stood  to  the  north-east,  contrary 
to   Juefs    opinion,  who  was   for   steering  north-west 
Ihe  next  day  they  had  a  storm,  and  ran  into  ice,  where 
they  remained  fourteen  days,  locked  up.     In  that  storm 
the  intrepid  commander  and  his  forlorn  party  in  the  boat 
may  have  perished.     It  is  probable  they  either  died  of 
hunger  at  sea,  or  got  out  of  their  course,  and  perished 
in  the  storm.     They  might,  indeed,  have  been  starved 
on  the  shore,  or  killed  by  the  aborigines.     Th^  end  of 
Hudson  is  a  melancholy  and  affecting  incident.     His 
talents,  courage,  and  perseverance,  rank  him  among  the 
first  navigators  of  any  age.     In  the  comparative  infancy 
of  discovery  in  the  northern  regions,   he  des(,>rves  to 
take  the  lead.     Left  in  the  great  bay  which  he  brought 
to  light,  the  victim  of  treachery,  he  has  not  been  for- 
gotten by  posterity,  like  many  of  his  contemporaries 
The  mystery  of  his   hite   causes  his  name  to  be  pro- 
nounced,  even    now,    with    pity,    while   his   skill   and 
courage   make  tlie  man  an  object  of  our  admiration, 
even  in  these  times,  when  a  northern  navigation  and 
wintering  are  not  considered  such  extraordinary  perils 
by  the  navigator. 
The  ship  continued  her  navigation  homeward.     Steer 


HUDSON. 


51 


.ng  northeast  the  mutineers  shaped  their  course  for 
the  capoH  or  headlands  whore,  as  they  supposed  the 
wdd  fowl  frequented.  Landing  on  oL  oftW  , 
Boarch  of  fowl,  they  fell  in  with  a  party  of  native^  wh 
lohaved  so  peaeeably  that  the  Engiis.Len  so  „  J  an 
traffic  w,th  them.  For  this  purpose,  they  ran  X 
«I..p  .n  as  near  to  the  land  as  was  practicable   and  sen 

Charge  of  the  boat,  the  rest  of  her  crew,  one  of  whom 
was  Green,  landed  and  mixed  among  the  native.  T 
■ng  them  looking-glasses  and  other  Article  :^';:ddti: 
one  of  the  savages  came  into  the  boat  and  attacked' 
Fr>cke  w,th  a  knife.  He  defended  himself,  and  ^  lead l 
n.ggle  e„sue.i  in  which  the  savage  was 'at  las  t  ,     f 

actd  t/  '  ^'"^^  ''  '"^^  «--  -  shore  were 
attacked.  Thomas  and  Wilson  were  stabbed  in  thl 
bowels;    Perse   and  Green,  both  dreadfullv  wo     d  d 

k  Tt    ti::^  ''^,  ''^'■'   ^^°^-  J-P«d   from  t  e 
rocks  into  the  sea,  and  swam  to  the  boat,  where  hold 
g  the  stern,  he  begged  to  be  taken  in  ;  Perse  b^..   off 
the   savages  with  a   hatchet,  and  Green  witl       f 
.ent  of  a  pike.     The  savages  then  t^^nhrLt/^ 
arrows.     Green  was  killed  on  the  spot ;  Perso  receivJ 
n..ny  other  wounds,  as  did  all  the  od^rl,  bu    he  p         j 
off  the  boat,  havir.g  taken  in  Motor.     Perse  and  Mot  ! 

n    In.  back  from  an  arrow,  as  the  boat  came  round 

c^ v"X""  '■  T;  ^"""^^' ''''  '^'  -^  p---  '« 

w  mds      S      ''"'"'  ''"^  ^''P'  '^"^  '"^''^  d'^d  of  their 

tori    t,       T-  "T  ""^^  — 'y  I'ands  enough  left 

owo  k  the  slup  through  the  entrance  of  the  strait 

t" to       rr  ""'"  "'"  ^''^''  ^'-  «'''P  -ere  obUged 
go  ,n  ,he  boat  and  kill  fowls  for  subs  stence  on  the 

•'"'Klred,  which  they  salted.     They  then  sailed  to    ho 


62 


BAFFIN. 


.;  * 


# 


Cape  of  God's  Mercies,  and  thence  bent  tlioir  ccnirse 
for  Cape  Desolation,  in  Greenland.  But,  the  wind  coming 
on  adverse,  thoy  shaped  their  course  for  Ireland.  They 
suffered,  during  the  passage,  the  most  dreadful  extremi- 
ties of  famine,  allowing  only  half  a  fowl  a  day  to  each 
man,  and  considering  it  a  luxury  to  have  it  fried  with 
candles,  of  which  a  weekly  distribution  was  made 
for  that  purpose.  Ivet,  now  the  sole  survivor  of  the 
ringleaders  in  the  atrocious  conspiracy,  sank  under 
these  privations.  The  last  fowl  was  in  the  steep-tub, 
and  the  men  were  become  nearly  desperate,  when  sud- 
denly it  pleased  God  to  give  them  sight  of  land,  which 
proved  to  be  the  north  of  Ireland.  They  complain  that, 
on  going  ashore  at  Berohaven,  they  did  not  receive  the 
sympathy  and  kindness  which  they  so  much  needed  ; 
nor  was  it  unti'  they  had  mortgaged  their  vessel  that 
they  obtained  the  meons  of  proceeding  to  Plymouth. 

Strange  to  relate,  no  attempt  was  made  to  bring  the 
mutineers  to  trial ;  some  of  them,  indeed,  were  after- 
wards employed  in  making  further  explorations. 

Great  hopes  were  entertained  that  the  much-desired 
passage  would  be  found  leading  out  of  Hudson's  Bay  ; 
and  a  good  deal  of  controversy  on  the  question  arose, 
from  time  to  time,  among  contending  voyagers  and  their 
abettors.  Between  this  period  and  1616,  those  arms  of 
the  sea  known  as  Sir  Thomas  Rowe's  Welcome  and  Fox 
Channel  were  discovered  ;  and  in  the  year  just  men- 
tioned Baffin  sailed  into  and  explored  the  vast  bay, 
eight  hundred  miles  long,  and  three  hundred  wide, 
named  after  him.  For  a  long  time  his  report  of  its 
great  length  was  disbelieved,  but  later  researches  have 
confirmed  the  accuracy  of  his  statements  ;  even  the 
latitudes  laid  down  by  him  are  almost  identical  with 
those  recently  determined,  witli  all  the  advantage  of 
Ba|)erior  instruments.     Among  other  opem'ngs,  Baflia 


BAFFIN. 


d3 


«»w  Lancaster  Sound,  and,  had  he  explored  if   P»      , 
discoveries  would  h.ivo  hon„      *•  •    "P'^"^®^  "»  J^arry's 

years,  a,  the/  ad  been^  "''"'''' '^^ '"» '■"°<''«<' 
rorgctcn  N„rtl,«„  Th  oS:„'t"'  "^  *'  ■°"^- 
•toe.  and,  i,.dccd,  „„u,  „i,  h";   plrfir'  "■" 

was,  that  no  practicable  opening  J  ,11  p^  '^T' 
e-s.cd,  except  that  at  Bchri^^*  si  '  p*'  f"" 
period  to  about  the  middle  of  ...  "^  ""« 

to  the  west  of  Hudson'  t;J:  ZZ^  f"',  -*'" 
effort  was  directed  ■  and  .r„i  "".""'  P>>'"»s  to  which 
earlier  navigate:'  \T.X\St'°^'''  T  "™» 
later.  In  small  rosseU  „,V'  /  *™''  "'"'  "ame 
burthen,  they  accrpthld^Cfe  tlX"  '°  '"'  '"™' 
Acted  b,  .avishl,-e,„ippea";;;*2s      """  '"" 

hardy  nav  l^r,  °  „d  h^  f"  *°'  ''™  •«»*''  «>« 
frozen  regl  ^f  Slir,,'  Tr«  '^P'"'^'^  '"  't» 
rewire  tifeTerdw  '  "  ""''  "'"''  '""J'^-''^  'hat 

evidenrrs;eri:re'~ri;:'"^t^'' 
=i:trorrr~^^^^^^^^^^ 

facts,  .tatingTherwirr'''*™'"'"'''™''*^'! 
.iust  as  they' *  ur;r  Thi  tSTf'r  "^f -/««"i-. 
has  been  suegeSed   W  .1  ^     °°*''"  »°'*  '•'""«* 

cently  made  bf  f  Norw  ™"''"'''''  '''"■>™«  '* 

ThesLy  stmi  ;c«  XpUst:;  ^'"  «-'-• 

the  Ar«     Waiers  Wd  m"""     "'  ""  ™*"  *°-  "' 


54 


BELICS    OF   BARENTZ. 


i% 


\}<:i 


mains  of  many  a  hardy  mariner  and  of  spirited  ^eaders  in 
the  perilous  search  for  the  North  Pole. 

Among  the  many  daring  men  who  have  biaved  the 
icy  terrors  of  Polar  navigation,  none  have  been  more  dar- 
ing than  William  Barentz,  whose  expeditions  wc  chronielo 
earlier  in  this  chapter.  After  twice  returning  ii.  safety  to 
his  native  Holland,  a  third  time  this  intrepid  explorer 
went  forth  into  those  frozcK  wilds,  and  this  proved  his  hist 
earthly  enterprise;  the  expedition  was  disastrous  in  many 
respecfci*,  but  chiefly  in  the  death  of  its  brave  leader  and 
of  many  of  his  equally  brave  followers. 

On  the  ice-bound  coast  of  S])itzbergcn,  Barentz  and  his 
men  found  it  necessary  to  land  and  spend  a  drca'-y  winter, 
and  here  they  built  huts  for  shelter  and  made  them  as 
comfortable  as  possible  for  occupancy  by  furnishing  them 
from  their  vessel.  When  the  winter  was  over,  they  found 
tlieir  vessel  unfit  for  the  voyage  home,  and  being  com- 
pelled to  embark  in  their  boats,  had  to  leave  their  furni- 
ture, utensils,  etc.,  in  the  huts. 

Three  centuries  nearly  have  passed  away  since  the  de- 
sertion of  the  quaint  settlement.  The  years  have  come 
and  gone  over  those  silent  witnesses  to  the  presence  of  the 
ancient  mariner  and  his  sturdy  crew.  In  all  that  time,  as 
we  may  believe,  no  living  thing  has  invaded  the  sacred 
solitude  of  this  spot,  haunted  with  the  memories  of  that 
coming,  long  ago,  of  Barentz,  and  his  men.  Possibly,  from 
a  distance,  the  walrus  and  the  seal  may  have  gazed  upon 
it,  and  from  his  rapid  flight  in  the  ether  some  Arctic  bird 
of  passage  may  have  turned  a  curious  eye  upon  the  scene. 
But  no  dust  has  settled  there ;  no  moth  has  stolen  in  tc 
bring  decay.  Even  the  elements  seem  to  have  abated 
their  severity  and  to  have  protected  with  a  kindly  hand 
the  legacy  left  to  their  undivided  keeping. 

The  sequel  almost  partakes  of  the  character  of  one  of 
those  tales  vvherewith  the  princess  in  the  "Arabian  Nichts" 
deferred  her  threatened  fate  by  whiling  away  the  tedious 


KKLICS   OF    nAltUN-TZ. 


55 


>  raiiiigs  of  l,cr  cruel  c„|i|,|,     Or„.,l..„-    ., 

C»|.tai„  Curls,.,,  !«„„  «l,r  „.a„ri    i       1      ■>'°"u"™' 

const  of  S„itH,o,-..o„     H,.l         ,  '  "l"l>  to  this  icy 

tt.  rollc,  of  the  I, c4,  L  ,   I  Tb       ,      ■■'"  °  '"■■""''  '"y 

of  .hoes  were  i\nunl  wlm-h  T!  n  /  '""^  ''''"  "  ^''''' 

can-icd  to  Europe  „„  Carisc,..    r"  T     !  'Zre"" 

«..■,»,«  t„„d,  of  p...„o,  i„  ,,i,  rc,elatior    oh      S'Z 
wrctt  of  the  long  |)aat.  "" 


I 


'  s 


CHAPTER  II 

RUSSIAN  KXPL0R4TI0NS.-DESHNEPF.- EXPEDITIONS  OF  1711  -FRUIT- 
LESS  EFFORTS. -LArTEFP.-BEHRINO.- HIS  SHIPWRECK  AND  DEATH 
-FATE  OF  THE  SURVIVORS.  -  SCHAtAROPF.- SLEDGE  BXPEDITION. - 
ADMIRAL    VON    WRANQELL'S    EXPEDITIONS. 

Hitherto  we   have    been   chiefly  occupied  with   the 
explorations  on  and  around  Northern  America,  and  we 
now  come  to  the  history  of  those  along  the  continent 
of  Asia,    the   northern   limit   of  which   extends  over  a 
space  of  145°  of  longitude.     The  discovery  and  survey 
of  this  vast  region  is  due  entirely  to  the  Russians  ;  for, 
although  other   nations   attempted   tlie   passage,   they 
penetrated  ne  further  than  the  Karskoie  Sea  a'^id  Cape 
North  on  the  east.     The  first  knowledge  of  the  coun- 
tries which  here  bound  the  polar  basin  was,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  other  continent,  derived  from  private  adven- 
turers,  who    undertook  journeys    into   those   desolate 
regions  in  hope^  of  a  profitable  trade  in  furs,  skins,  and 
ivory.     Russian   traders,  sailing  from  the   White   Sea 
and  mouth  of  the  Petchora,  voyaged  as  far  as  Obi  and 
the  lennissei ;  their  vessels,  similar  to  those  of  early 
British  navigators,  were  little  better  than  shallops,  and 
it  is  impossible  not  to  be  struck  with  the  labors  of  those 
whose  chief  resource  was  indomitable  perseverance. 

The  first  endeavors  under  government  authority 
were  made  about  the  year  1600;  and  trading-stations 
were  established  at  the  mouths  of  most  of  the  Jar^'ci' 


f',i'ti> 


RUSSIAN   EXPLORATIONS.  _  DESHNEFF.  57 

rivers,  with  tl,e  double  view  of  exploration  and  of  sub 
oct,ng  the  natives  to  Russian  authority.     The  Le,t 

before  la  0,  by  parties  sent  under  Cossaek  leaders  to 
col  Oct  nbute  who  at  the  same  time  fell  in"  i  h  th" 
Tclmktehes,  and   heard  their   reoorfs  of  ,-..      T   , 

ofl-  the  coast.  The  earliest  .tL'r/!  ,  ■^"'^'  '^"'° 
nf  tl.n   IT  I  eai^Hest  attempt  to  sail  to  eastward 

two  '  „      ^"''  "'^^  '""'^  '"  '''''  -'d  repeated  in  tl  e 
wreci.ed,  except  one  commanded  bv  Desh 

get  round  to  .1.0  mouth  „T,1,„  IT     °'T'  ™  '» 
coa.e,  eo  .„.e  ror  .a.o'iLl";\r;rrJ:  T/S 

nvor     lh,s  ,s  the  only  occasion  on  which  such  a  vovai 
has  been  made  ;  and  to  np«f.n«ff      j  1  •  ^^yago 

^>olong.s  the  honor  of  l^^teVt   Lr"'7'"r 
navigators  from  the  Arctic  lea  to  te  pt^/'lt? 
''av,ng  proved,  at  a  period  much  earlier  tt'  ,3  com 
n^only  supposed,  that  the  American  and    aJV 
nonts  are  not  united.  ^'"*'"^'^»  ^nd  Asiatic  conti- 

Other  expeditions  followed  ;  the   Rn-,r  T  i     a 
ioen  ■    nnH   f^  „i*  •  "^^•^  Islands  were 


'>l-'\ 


■f.Vs- 

m 

68         FRUITLESS  EFFORTS.-  LAPWFF.-BEIIhlXO. 

Empress  Anne,  when  the  RuHsian  admiralty  fitted  cut 
three  expcditiouB  "  to  obtain  a  correct  kiiowled<?o  of 
the  northern  coast  of  Siberia  from  the  Wiiite  Sea  to 
Bchriiig's  Strait;"  "one,  consisting  of  two  vessels, 
was  to  sail  from  Arcliangel  eastward  to  the  mouth  of 
tliu  Obi  ;  anotlier,  from  the  Obi  to  the  Icnnissei.  The 
third  was  to  sail  from  the  Lcmi,  and  consisted  of  two 
vessels,  one  of  which  was  to  sail  westward  to  the  Icn- 
nissei, and  the  other  eastward,  past  the  Kolyma,  to 
Bohi-ing's  Strait." 

Insurmountable  impediments  to  navigation,  recall  of 
commanders,  wintering  in  the  rivers,  overland  journeys 
to  St.  Petersburg,  renewed  attempts,  scurvy,  and  ship- 
wreck, comprise  the  history  of  these  expeditions.     One 
of  the  mates,  in  observations   on   the  compass,   makes 
the  remark,   "  The  variation  of  the  needle  was  so  great, 
and  it  was  so  unsteady,  that  I  am  inclined  to  believe  the 
magnet  ceases  to  act   in  those  high  latitudes."     This 
fact   is  worthy  of  record,   as   bearing   on    j)henomena 
which    have    subsequently   been    regarded   with    much 
attention.     But,  on  the  main  question,  the  Russian  ad- 
miralty refused  to   receive   the   reports   of  impossible 
navigation;  and,  in  1739,  sent  out  another  expedition, 
under  Lieut.  Laptoff,  who,  by  dint  of  perseverance  in 
four  successive  voyages,  did  at  last  pass  to  the  eastward 
of  the  Kolyma  ;  but  here  fields  of  ice,  extending  far  to 
the  north,  barred  his  further  progress. 

Next  in  order  come  the  voyages  by  Behring,  the 
explorer  of  the  strait  which  bears  his  name.  In  the 
year  17' 1  this  celebrated  Tiavigator  set  sail  from  the 
harbor  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  in  Kamtschatka,  in  two 
vessels,  from  which  he  had  named  the  port.  It  was  the 
4th  of  June  when  tliey  weighed  anchor,  and  on  the 
12th  they  had  reached  latitude  46"  without  seeing  land. 
They  proceeded  as  high  as  50°  of  latitude  with  littl« 


BEHRINO. 


61 


auccefls.      Tl.oy   now  determinod    to  steer  eastward 

owards  the  Amorican  continent.     On  the  20th  thTlo 

J.h,ps^  wore  separated   by  a  st.,nn,  followed   l>y  hazy 

On  the  18th  of  July,  Behring,  while  w.-'fing  for  the 

ll-  f  r      '  n     '"^^*  '""ff't"J«'ft-c-'nAwat8ka.  Three 
days  before    Captam  Tschirikov,  who  commanded  the 

latitude,  and  oO'  longitude,  from  Awatska.  He  ent  oL 
shore  h.B  long-boat  and  shallop  with  seventeen  In  to 
observe  the  coast,  but  neither  the  one  nor  the  other 
ever  return.]      Upon  a  consultation,  in  consequen  e 

Be  Irl  r th  "  ""  T'^^'  *^  ^^*"^"  '^  K.mts'chatk  : 
Behung,  ,n  the  mean  tune,  endeavored  to  explore  the 
coast  he  first  saw  and  to  take  in  water.     He  ^e'tsa  ,  on 
the  21st  of  July,  determined  to  run  as  high  as  60»  north 
He  found  n  unpossible  to  advance  direct%he  coast  cot 
s  antly  runn.ng  o„t  to  the  south-west.     He  found  h.m- 
eelf  m  a  labyrmth  of  islands  which  bordered  the  conU 
nent,  so  that  often,  when  he  thought  himself  dear  he 
discovered   land  on  the  larboard  and   starboard   b^w 
He  was  then  obliged  to  drop  astern,  and  find  a  passaje 
that  way.  encountering  great  difilcultic.  from  ca'::  aid 

On  the  3d  of  September,  while  still  among  those 
glands  they  discovered  some  of  the  inhabitants  by 
whom  they  were  well  received.  The  natives  presented 
;:^w  Uitt:"  '"  R«BBians,-the  only  provision  :;!S 

,,    .  -^  "*^"  '^^^^^  on  a  fishuig  expedition   aa 

their  canoes  were  drawn  up  on  the  shore  f  but  no  fenmle 
or  habitations  were  seen,  their  dwellings  probably  leTnl 
on  the  mainland.   They  were  unarmed.    A^r  some  o  her 
communications  with    the   natives,   and  encounteri  g 


02 


HKmUNG. 


coiitriiry  wimls,  ino  IluriHiuiiH  were  ovcrtivkoa  by  a  vlo 
lent  storm,  wliiclj  laNtctl  for  sovcntoon  days.  They 
round,  tliouglj  tlioy  had  not  kept  up  thoir  Hails,  that 
tlioy  had  boon  driven  back  to  18°  18'  oC  latitude.  Tho 
Hcurvy  now  began  to  appear  among  them  ;  hardly  a  day 
passed  without  the  death  of  one  of  tho  crew,  and  liands 
enough,  in  health,  wcru  scarcely  left  to  manujuvre  the 
vessel. 

A  return  to  Kamtschatka  was  resolved  upon.     After 
discovering  and  naming  several  capes  and  islands,  they 
saw  two  which,  by  an  unfortunate  mistake,   they   took 
for   tho   two   first  of  the  Kourilo  Isles.     Uy  this  they 
erred  in  their  reckoning.    They  in  vain  took  their  course 
to  tho  west;  tho  shore  of  Kamtschatka  remained  invisi- 
ble, and  there  was  soon  no  hope,  so  late  in  the  season, 
of  making  a  port  in  that  country.     The  crew,  notwith- 
standing their  suflerings  from  cold  and  continued  rain, 
attended  to  their  duty.     The  scurvy  had  already  so  far 
advanced  that  the  steersman  was  conducted  to  the  helm 
by  two  other  invalids,  who  happened  still  to  have  the 
use  of  their  legs,  by  supporting  him  under  tho  arms. 
When  he  could  no  longer  steer,  from  suffering,  ho  was 
succeeded  by  another  no  better  able  to  execute  the  labor 
than  himself     Thus  did  tho  miserable  crew  waste  away 
into  death.     They  were  obliged  to  carry  few  sails,  for 
they   luul   not   hands   to  reef  them,  if  at  any  time  it 
should  be  required  ;  and   such  as  they  had  were  nearly 
worn  out,  so  that  tho  slightest  storm   was  sufliicient  to 
shiver  them  into  threads  ;  in  this  case  they  could  not 
be  replaced  from  the  stores,  for  want  of  sailors  able  to 
bend  now  ones.     The  rain  was  soon  succeeded  by  snow. 
The  nights  now  grew  longer  and  darker,  and  they  had 
now,  in  addition  to  their  former  precautions,  to  guard 
against  shipwreck.     Tho  fresh  water  on  board  was  rap. 


BWIRINO. 


63 


tl.0  4,1,  „f  LZZZll  ""T"  '''"""  '""•     "" 

tl,o  w„,w.r,l  w      '     Z  ""'""  f""'"""""l  •"  -»il  <o 
''  ^^'"'out  knowing  in  what  |..tif,.,i     n 

worn    or   nt    i.fl.,  1.    J-   ,  °  "iiai   I.llitlii|(>    I  lov 

came  ,„  »„.,„  „,  ,„j,  J.,  , rc„„c    verTi  T    "'  .'"'^ 
-islil  o'clock    i„  ,1,0   „„„„•  J      r"-''  ■    '  """  ' 1 

could  only  ,00   tZ   ZZ     r  '^"'"  "''"'"""'■  «"<« 

«..0W.      As   Zr  drew  To  ■""■"','"""■    '^'"•'"■'"'  ""I' 

wreck  in  tlio  dark      uT.  '"'"'''  '°  »'">■ 

.»rda,o  „„  .,„  ':ii  'ii  „T,"„T,r, ;;.:'"  "■» 

l-.<i.  to  ,avo  ,  c,r  n  t  .„H    J    h     ''   u'  "'"'"'  "■»'■  "'» 
TI.0  -nail  .ail»        0  ilo     ■rr:'"'   ,""'■""''■ 

".—,  ara.r  ,l.e  failur:':"^:::,' '' -*-'-°h 
was  north  ;  the  dcnth  nf  ^  f  ..  •  "'^"'^P^'^-  ^lio  wind 
a  bottom  ^f    Ld     two  r       *"^  <athon.s,  with 

futhon..  They  norc,,  r- "  fT'  '''''  '"""^  *-«'-« 
anchor,  and  rutf  it  o^  tT "'''  '"  ^'*  "^'^''^•"•^rd  an 
At  six  'the    ab,    Itcd  td'  ?"'"'":  "'  '^  ^"^^'«'«  '-^^''• 

-p  -n  a  .r  ^rr-:rt:- :;^- - 


64 


BEHRINQ. 


■ 


moment  after,  they  had  five  fathoms  of  water.     A  sec- 
ond anchor  was  thrown  out,  and  the  cable  again  parted 
They  had  no  third  anchor  ready.     Wliile  they  were  pro- 
paring  to  let  go  another,  a  huge  wave  lifted  the  vessel 
over  the  reef.     In  an  instant  she  lay  in  calm  water 
The  anchor  was  put  out,  and  she  was  safely  moored  in 
four  fathoms  and  a  half,  with  a  sandy  bottom,  and  only 
about  three  hundred  fathoms  from  the  shore.     Tlie  next 
morning  they  discovered  that,  by  a  good  providence, 
they  had  been   led  to  the  only  spot  where  it  was  pos- 
sible they  could  have  been  carried  over  the  ridge  of 
rocks,  and  that  twenty  fathoms'  distance  right  or  left 
of  tiie  place  high  rocks  rose  out  of  the  sea,  against 
which  they  must  have  perished  during  the  darkness  of 
the  night. 

Winter  was  now  come.  The  crew,  worn  down  with 
fatigue,  reposed  until  :nid-day,  and  then  the  boat  was 
lowered.  On  the  Gth  of  November,  the  second  in 
command,  Mr.  Waxall,  landed.  They  found  the  coun- 
try liarrcn,  and  covered  with  snow.  A  clear  stream  of 
excellent  water,  not  yet  frozen,  ran  down  from  the 
mountains  to  the  shore.  No  trees,  or  even  shrubs, 
were  visible.  Firewood  might  be  obtained  from  what 
the  sea  liad  drifted  on  the  land,  but  it  must  be  collected 
from  under  the  snow.  Ilut  or  shelter  there  was  none  ; 
but  they  discovered  near  the  banks  of  a  torrent  some 
deep  hollows  in  the  sand,  which  they  prepared  to  clear 
out,  and  cover  over  with  the  ship's  sails,  so  as  to  make 
a  shelter,  until  they  could  construct  cabins  of  wood.  It 
was  accordingly  resolved  to  take  the  sick  on  shore  the 
next  day,  as  soon  as  places  were  prepared  for  them. 

On  the  8th  of  November  they  were  landed.  Some 
died  on  being  brought  up  into  tlie  air  from  below,  oth- 
ers in  the  l)oat,  and  some  upon  getting  ashore.  The 
bodies  of  the  dead  were  instantly  attacked  by  foxes. 


BEHRINQ.  ^„ 

00 

which  came  to  thok  prey  without  fear  as  if  fh..  K  a 
never  before  seen  man      Tl.o^  .  ^^^  ^^^ 

these  animal,  away  f  om  f  T^'  ''T'  ''  ''"^« 
hands  of  wJu-ch  ZeZJla  ''T'' u""'  ''"'  ^"'^ 
interred.  On  the  9th  ^f  N^LtHhe  7  T^'  '' 
landed,  well  secured  from  the   .In  '^*'''"   '"''^^ 

in  a  hollow  by  himself  ?hl!-i^P '"'■"'  ""^^  P''*^"^^ 
the  land  in  a'da;::'L'mor\u7i:  w  '''''''\  '^ 
that,  of  all  who  took  to  their  b;ds  in  he  slT^r  "' 
survived.  These  were  princin.llv  1  T  ^'  *  ""'' 
ferent  to  existence,  oV  a  d  the  d  "  ""'  "'''■ 
cumbod  to  it     Their  dLT  '^''''''   ^"'^  «"'^- 

lassitude,  wh  ch  mTde  th.  ''^""""^^  ^^^^  extreme 
and  i.different  loTvty  hi^rTsr^f '.^ '•'^^^^' 
ca..  o      v,,^.,,,  -  on^thelXf -ren  - 

and  Sd  rir  rdrntr^r ^^  '■"^^^^^^^- 
Soon  after,  the  limbs  were     truck  2^7  '"'"'  '''^"*- 
ti-  legs  became  inflamed    the  sit  v„"T  '""'' 
covered    with   livid   marks'    tL  t'" /f  °^'  *'>«  l>"'Jy 
mouth  and  gums  bldv     Sol       -Tk      ''''''   '""^  '^' 
nervous,  and  terrified  af'fh      ,    .      ^'''  ^^'^^^'^^  ^^^^^ 
Others  Boeme     t f  ft  Lt;^1^:,^*;r"'  ''''  '''''• 
-Ives  in  danger.     Tl  ey  ,     f '/  f  ''''r'  *'""'^  *'^«'"- 
they  heard  the  order      r  gl"  on  ^h""       r^'^  "'^" 
selves,  and  believed  ^.^7!::  ^I^^^:^'^ 
leavmg  the  interior  of  the  shin   nn.if.      f  "'^  ^^11.     On 
»ir  of  U,e  h„,d.  and  ooj,  „*  1  1 11°";  ™'™'"""' 
tliey  spcclily  expired         "  "traospl.ere. 

"->  feet  a»  ™e„  a,  ^til^e  o^'eSJifr'""  °° 


66 


BEHRING.— HIS  DEATH. 


:  -f, 


eers  of  the  sliip,  wlio  were  obliged  to  be  on  deck  to 
look  into  everything.  The  captain,  alone,  of  all  the 
officers,  died.  Ilia  age  and  temperament  inclined  him 
to  inactivity.  He  took  his  friends,  at  last,  for  his  ene- 
mies, and  some  could  not  come  into  his  sight,  on  that 
account,  towards  the  close  of  his  illness  Two  of  the 
officers  took  the  disease  by  remaining  on  board  in  the 
bad  air  of  the  hold,  after  the  crew  had  quitted  the  ship, 
but  they  both  recovered. 

Behring   died    on    the   8th   of  December,    lUl,    on 
the  island  which  now  bears  his  naine.     lie  had  a  great 
passion  for  voyages  and  travels  in  his  youth,  and  had 
seen  many  parts  of  the  world,  and  a  great  deal  of  ser- 
vice.    In  a  previous  voyage  he  had  sailed  through  the 
strait  that  bears  his  name.     lie  had  served  under  Peter 
the  Great;  was  made   lieutenant  in  1707,  and  captain- 
lieutenant  in   1710.     He  was  thus  a  seaman  from  his 
cradle,    and  was  chosen   to    command   the   expedition 
from  Kamtschatka  on  account  of  his  previous  services. 
He  left  his  name  a  record  to  the  end  of  time  in  the 
straits  that  separate  Asia  and  America.     Ilis  death  was 
singular.     He  was  almost  buried  before  he  breathed  his 
last  sigh.     His  men  placed  him  in  the  most  commodi- 
ous spot,  the  day  after  the  disembarkation  of  the  sick 
commenced.     He  was  borne  with  great  care  into  a  sort 
of  tent,  upon  or  rather  in  the  sand,  and  as  well  secured 
as  possible.     Every  day  he  detached  the  loose  sand 
from  the  sides  of  the   place  where  he  lay,  so  that  he 
soon  covered  his  feet  with  it.     Those  who  attended  him 
cleared  it  away,  but  at  last  he  would  not  sufier  them  to 
doit  any  more.     He  showed  anger  if  it  were  attempted, 
and  by  degrees  had  so  accumulated  it  about  him  that 
when  he  died  he  was  half  covered.     They  buried  him 
near  the  spot ;  and  the  island  is  his  laonument,  bearing 
his  name  in  the  charts  of  all  nations. 


FATE  OF  THE  SURVIVORS 


67 

Not  long  after  the  death  of  the  cantain   +1,    «      • 
-w  their  vessel  wrecked  before  thdrVe;     7:" 
their  only  means  of  escape   from   thl  ZT'  ' 

which  they  were  winteriL      Istorm         '^  '^°'  '° 
9Qth  i.F  n^       1  .  =•     -^  storm   aroae   on   iht^ 

^9th  of  December,   the   cable  snapped    a,.d   flT   f 
came  ashore  almost  close  to  whore  the  P      •  "^ 

living.  In  the  morning  she  Tva7fol/V  -'^  "''" 
or  ten  feet  in  sand,  and' ompleTe ^  J  ^tor 'r^Th!  "'^ 
had  spoiled  a  great  prooortion  ^/.,  '!*"'''^'^^-     ^he  sea 

had  boon  oast.  The  Booo„rt„  f ,  ./  "°'''''  """^ 
»;3.onco.  Pa,..o,  ^0^'.  if  *;, ,:r-  °'  -^ 
absence  of  three  div^    r,„«      .         explore.     After  an 

had  soon  a  g«.  number  oV;,":!  J,!";.''"' ''"^ 
.chatka  soa-boavers.    They  h,d  al.T?  '"  '^""'■ 

her  of  blue  and  white  fox^s,  whio    :ho°wo7  *™'  """" 
ear  npon  „b,e™g  the„.   'li  ttrconeTuS";: 

i*..d.  w°fh  The  dLir?orj"hf:  '"r--  °^  *» 

opposite  side  from  that  where  tZ  h^d  '^  '"  "" 

Thoy  (bund  a  high  hill  ,1  ro„  or  1  1  ™""'  °"  ='""■"■ 
Boa,  and,  asoondlg  o^j  "/J";/  '""«""  f™  the 

eastward  and  westfJd  of  f  ,  """  '"'"'  •"  «« 
;.-on  .hey  had  no  dtu  th:  "^Z^TJ^rn" 
^;;.d^no  trees,  e.eept  a  few  willoL  oTtttd  JofT 

Having  thus  satisfied  thomsplvos  +r,«„ 
island,  they  nroceedp<?  J''"'^^^"'^  ^^^y  ^ero  upon  an 

virion     hud  b  en  ifft  t     "T'"'  "'^^^  ''"^''^  ^^^  P'"- 
first  n..d    a  res  rve  0  '  M     f  ''7  ''"''^  "^^^     '^'^^ 


68 


PREPAR^mONS  FOR  RETURN. 


Kamtscnatka,  after  whicli  they  regulated  the  daily 
allowance  of  each  person.  Although  thirty  of  the  crew 
had  died,  there  would  not  have  been  sufficient  foi  (heir 
subsistence,  had  there  not  been  wild  anima's  on  tho 
island  to  eke  out  their  stores. 

The  flesh  of  the  beavers  was  hard  and  stringy.     They 
killed  a  great  number  for  their  skins,  of  which  they 
collected  nine  hundred.     The  surgeon   had  three  han 
dred  to  his  own  share  when  they  embarked  from  tlie 
island  to  return  to  Siberia. 

In  the  month  of  March  no  more  beavers  weic  seen, 
and  in  their  places  seals  made  their  appearance.  The 
flesh  of  these  animals  they  found  disagreeable.  They 
were  relieved  from  tho  necessity  of  feeding  'ipon  them 
by  killing  sea-lions,  the  flesii  of  whi-h  they  found  excel- 
lent. The  walrus,  or  sea-horse,  was  also  taken,  and 
"'^rved  them  for  food.  One  of  these,  of  eight  hundred- 
weight, was  sufScient  for  (ifteen  days'  consumption. 
The  flesh  was  like  beef,  and  that  of  the  young  ones  not 
inferior  to  the  best  veal.  The  fat,  which  lined  the  flesh 
to  the  depth  of  three  or  four  inches,  very  much  resem- 
bled lard  ;  and  the  Russians  used  it  as  a  substitute  for 
butter.  They  filled  several  hogsheads  with  the  flesh, 
which  they  salted,  as  part  of  their  provisions  for  their 
future  voj'age. 

A  whale  came  on  shore  during  the  winter  near  their 
habitation,  and,  being  short  of  other  food  at  the  time, 
they  cut  out  the  blubber  in  square  masses,  and  boiled  it 
to  separate  the  oil,  which  they  ate.  On  the  commence- 
ment of  spring,  a  second  whale  was  cast  on  shore  in  the 
same  way,  and  then,  rejecting  the  stale  meat,  they  sup- 
plieil  themselves  with  that  which  was  more  fresh. 

When  the  snow  melted  in  the  month  of  March,  171:2, 
these  unfortunate  men  began  to  think  of  some  means  of 
return.      They  were  forty-five  in  number      The  shicf 


LAUNCH  OF  THE  VESSEL.  «^ 

09 

ttid  ;„^r -rr^  "■"  "-^  ""■  ™»«'  »-^ 

r  ^  ^^*'' '•'"'^ ''' new  one  const riif.fnri     r 

to  curry  them  all      Tl,;«  ,.i  ^o"8truttod,  of  a  size 

coinmcnco  operation,  AM  tit  ,i  '  "  Z"™'''"'!"  «n>o  to 
and  the  cntL  JZ  wt  et  "'oTi,:''::  ^  '"^  "»*■ 
wreck  to  obtain  „ato™,s  fc,  f^U™,'""^  ""  "^ 

on  hi,  return,  by  being  efeS;  '  t'™r„fTr.='' 

-ew  ship.  It  wL  foftvZ,  ,'"'", '°  °°°"'™'='  *<>!' 
At  the  begi„„i„rof  J„?o  tt  "^  '^  ""*<'"  '"°''^- 
the  fran,e\e,n/co"p,e  e  ThTn  t  °'  "''""■■"«  "^ 
deck,  a  cabin  was  b^  Hton     L  """  """'  ""'' 

care  toconstriirt  1  hr>a+ +«  -^'ley  took 

we  or  howin;;  ■ ,:  ':v:z:zr  *"*  '^'-''  ^^-^ 

Ae  had  been  bnil,     The  sh^f "'  "  "  ''"P  ■>■«  °f  "W^h 

;-e,  the,  e^pioyer^of  trtT-r^::'^",^" 
woathor  was  fortunately  calm  for  8,\  d  Jl^  .  ^'^ 

«•-  they  got  in  the  malt  and  rudd  '  Zi  '"""^7^'^^ 
took  in  their  provisions       rh  ^^  ''*'^^'  *"^ 

wrater      All  h  ^.^™-      ^heir  vessel  drew  five  feet 
•^ater.     All  hav.ng  embarked,  they  set  sail  on  the  lelh! 


70 


SCHALAROFF. 


t     f, 


I 


They  cleared  the  rocks  by  the  aid  of  their  oars,  and 
continued  to  row  until  they  were  about  three  leagues  at 
eea,  when  they  hoisted  their  sails  with  a  slight  breeze 
from  the  north.  They  found  that  their  ship  sailed  and 
worked  as  well  as  if  she  had  been  built  by  able  work- 
men. On  the  18th,  they  had  a  strong  gale  against  them 
from  the  south-we&t.  The  fear  of  a  storm  made  them 
fling  a  part  of  their  ballast  overboard.  On  the  25th, 
they  came  in  sight  of  Kamtschatka,  entered  the  Bay  of 
Awatska  the  next  day,  and  on  the  27th  anchored  in 
the  port  of  Petropalaiiski. 

Tn  1160,  SchalarofT,  a  merchant  of  Yakutsk,  whose 
name  is  venerated  throughout  Siberia,  determined  on 
trying  whether  the  passage  attempted  by  Bohring  could 
or  coul  i  not  be  accomplished.  He  persevered  during 
three  seasons,  in  defiance  of  mutiny  and  hardships  innu- 
merable. He,  too,  was  wrecked  on  the  desolate  coast 
seventy  miles  east  of  Cape  Chelagskoi,  and,  with  all  his 
crew,  died  of  starvation.  Three  years  later,  Sergeant 
ADdrejefiF  conducted  a  sledge  expedition  across  the  ice  to 
tiie  Boar  Islands  ;  his  reports,  which  were  much  exagger 
ated,  led  shortly  afterwards  to  the  accurate  survey  of 
this  and  the  adjacent  country.  Cook's  exploration, 
of  which  we  shall  hereafter  speak,  led  to  another  expe- 
dition on  the  part  of  the  Russians,  which  sailed  from 
the  Kolyma  in  1787,  under  Captain  Billings;  but  the 
attempts  made  to  navigate  either  to  the  east  or  the  west 
were  both  defeated.  Further  efforts  were  made  at  inter- 
vals during  the  firstquarter  of  the  present  century,  some 
of  them  mainly  to  search  for  the  northern  continent, 
whose  existence,  far  in  the  Polar  Sea,  had  so  often  been 
the  subject  of  rumor. 

Last  we  come  to  the  expeditions  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Anjou  and  Admiral  von  Wrangell,  carn'ed 
on  also  by  means  of  dogs  and  sledges,  from  the  yeat 


VON  WRANGELL. 


71 


1820  to   :823;    tho  latter  taking  the  mouth   of  the 
Kolyma  for  his  starting-point,   the    former  the  river 
lana       These   undertakings  were  especially  promoted 
by  the  Emperor  Alexander,  and  were  conducted  with 
all  the  care  and  skill  warranted  by  an  advanced  state 
of  science  and  philosophy.     They  failed  but  in  one  par- 
ticular—the discovery  of  the  northern  continent.    How 
diligently  and    perseveringly   this   was   searched  for 
18  best  proved  by  the  narrative  of  perils  endured   even 
to  the  risk  of  life,  in  the  arduous  enterprise       Three 
times  was  the  frczen  surface  of  the  sea  traversed  with- 
out leading  to  any  definite  result ;  on  the  fourth  jour- 
ney, m  March,  1823,  Von  Wrangell  reached  the  latitude 
of  10"  51',  longitude  U5°  27'  west -one  hundred  and 
five  wersts  in  a  direct  line  from  tho  mainland.     Sound- 
ings gave  a  depth  of  twenty-two  and  a  half  fathoms  ;  the 
ice  here  was  thin  and  weak.     More  than  once  the  party 
had  only  been  saved  from  breaking  through  by  the  speed 
at  which  the  dogs  travelled  over  it.     In  the  distance  a 
screen  of  dense  blue  vapor- a  certain  indication  of  open 
water  — was  visible,  on  which  the  admiral  remarks  : 

"  Notwithstanding  this  sure  token  of  the  impossibil- 
ity  of  proceeding  much  further,  we  continued  to  go  due 
north  for  about  nine  wersts,  when  we  arrived  at  the 
edge  of  an  immense  break  in  the  ice,  extending  east  and 
west  further  than  the  eye  could  reach,  and  which  at  the 
narrowest  part  nvas  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  fath- 
oms across.  *  *  *  *  ^,,^r^  climbed  one  of  the  loftiest  ice- 
hills,  where  we  obtained  an  extensive  view  towards  the 
north,  and  whence  we  beheld  the  wide,  immeasurable 
ocean  spread  before  our  gaze.  It  was  a  fearful  and 
magmficent,  but  to  us  a  melancholy  spectacle.  Frag- 
ments of  ice  of  enormous  size  floated  on  the  surface  of 
the  agitated  ocean,  and  were  thrown  by  the  waves  with 
awlul  violence  against  the  edge  of  the  ice-field  on  the 


72 


VON  WRANG£LL. 


further  side  of  the  channel  before  us.  The  colllaionB 
wore  80  tremendous,  tliat  large  maascs  were  every 
instant  broken  away  ;  and  it  was  evident  that  the  por- 
tion of  ice  wliich  still  divided  the  channel  from  the  open 
ocean  would  soon  bo  completely  destroyed.  Had  we 
attempted  to  have  ferried  ourselves  across  upon  one  of 
the  floating  pieces  of  ice,  we  should  not  havo  louud  firm 
footing  upon  our  arrival.  Even  on  our  own  side,  fresh 
lanes  of  water  were  continually  forming,  and  extending 
in  every  direction  in  the  field  of  ice  behind  us.  With 
a  painful  feeling  of  the  impossibility  of  overcoming  the 
obstacles  which  nature  opposed  to  us,  our  last  hope  van- 
ished of  discovering  the  land,  which  we  yet  believed  to 
exist." 

On  returning  from  this  extreme  limit  of  their  adven- 
turous journey,  the  party  were  placed  in  a  situation  of 
extreme  risk.     "  We  had  hardly  proceeded  one  worst," 
writes  M.  von  Wrangell,  "  when  we  found  ourselves  in 
a  fresh  labyrinth  of  lanes  of  water,  which  hemmed  us  in 
on  every  side.     As  all  the  floating  pieces  around  us 
were  smaller  than  the  one  on  which  we  stood,  which 
was  seventy-five  fathoms  across,  and  as  we  saw  many 
certain  indications  of  an  approaching  storm,  I  thought 
it  better  to  remain  on  the  larger  mass,  which  offered  us 
somewhat  more  security  ;  and  thus  we  waited  quietly 
whatever  Providence  should  decree.     Dark  clouds  now 
rose  from  the  west,  and  the  whole  atmosphere  became 
filled  with  a  damp  vapor.     A  strong  breeze  duddenly 
sprang  up  from  the  west,  and   increased  in  less  than 
half  an  iiour  to  a  storm.     Ev(  ■  v  moment  huge  masses 
of  ice  around  us  were  dashed  against  each  other,  and 
broken  into  a  thousand  fragments.     Our  little  party  ro 
mained  fast  on  our  ice-island,  which  was  tossed  to  and 
fro   by  the  waves.     We  gazed  in  most    painful  inac- 
tivity on  the  wild  conflict  of  the  elements,  expecting 


VON  WRANOELL. 


?6 


every  moment  to  be  swallowed  up.     Wo  had  been  three 
Img  hours  in  this  position,  and  still  the  inuHS  of  ice 
beneath  us  held  together,  when  suddenly  it  was  caught 
by  the  storm,  and  hurled  against  a  largo  field  of  ice. 
The  crash  was  terrific,  and  the  mass  beneath  us  was 
shattered  into  fragments.     At  that  dreadful   moment. 
wh(«n  escape  seemed  impossible,  the  impulse  of  self' 
preservation  implanted  in  every  living  being  saved  us 
Instinctively  we  all  sprang  at  once  on  the  sledges,  and 
urged  the  dogs  to  their  full  speed.     They  flew  across 
the  yielding  fragments  to  the  field  on  which  we  had 
been  stranded,  and  safely  reached  a  part  of  it  of  firmer 
character,  on  which  were  several  hummocks,  and  wnera 
the  dogs  immediately  ceased  running,  conscious,  appa- 
rently, that  the  danger  was  past.     We  were  saved  :  wo 
joyfully  embraced  each  other,  and  united  in  thanks  to 
God  for  our  preservation  from  such  imminent  peril." 

More  than  once  during  this  trip  the  party  heard  from 
the  Tchuktches  that  land  could  be  seen  far  away  in  the 
northern  seas.  The  part  of  the  coast  alluded  to  wag 
Capo  Jakan,  which  the  explorers  afterwards  visited  ; 
but,  although  "they  gazed  long  and  earnestly  on  the 
horizon,  in  hopes,  as  the  atmosphere  was  clear,  of  dis- 
corning  some  appearance  of  the  northern  land,"  they 
"could  see  nothing  of  it," 


gi^^fe^-' 


ICB-UAFT. 


CHAPTER   III. 

OrrRR  OF  PARUAMtMT.— lIKARNK'fl  JOIIRNKY.  —  PIIIITS.  —  NKI.SOV. — 
COOK.  —  MACKKSZIK.  — 8IK  JOHN  UOS»'S  PIIWT  VOYAOK.  —  DOCIUN  AND 
FRANKLIN.  —  I.ANOKROUS   ilTUATION   0»  TUB   TRRMT  AND    OOROTIIBA. 

In  1743    the  Hritisli  Parliuineiit  oflbrod  a  toward  of 
twenty  thousaiid  pound.s  to  any  ono  who  should  Hail  to 
tho  north-west  by  way  of  Ihidsun'H  Strait,  which  passage, 
it  was  declared,  would  bo  "  of  great  benefit  and  advan- 
tago  to  the  kingdom."     Ik-tvveen  1769-72  Mr.  Ilearno 
undertook  three  overland  journeys  acrosa  the  territories 
of  tho  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  to  the  shores  of  the  Polar 
Sea.     lie  failed  in  the  first  two  attempts ;  in  the  third 
he  succeodod  in  reaching  a  largo  and  rapid  river,  —  tho 
Coppermine,  —  and  followed  it  down  nearly  to  its  mouth; 
but,  as  there  is  reason  to  believe,  without  actually  view- 
ing tho  sea.     The  proof  of  tho  existence  of  tho  river 
was  the  most  important  result  of  Mr.  Ilearne's  labors  ; 
for  such   scientific   observations   as  ho  attempted  are 
loose  and  unsatisfactory. 

In  the  following  year  (1773),  in  consequence  of  com- 
munications made  to  the  Royal  Society  on  tho  possi- 
bility  of  reaching  the  North  Polo,  Captain  Phipps  (after- 
wards Lord  Mulgrave)  was  sent  out  with  two  vessels 
to  cfTect  this  interesting  object.  He  coasted  the  eastern 
shore  of  Spitzbcrgen  to  80"  48'  of  latitude,  and  wan 
there  stopped  by  the  ice.  AVith  Phipps  on  this  expe- 
dition was  Nelson,  tho  future  naval  hero  of  England, 
then  a  mere  boy.  Young  as  ho  was,  ho  was  on  one 
occasion    appointed  to  command  a  boat,  sent   out  to 


I'liippa. 


77 


ex|.Ir.ro  a  passage  into   tho   opon  wat.-r      If 

mcatifl  of  saving  ^r.otl.er  l,o«f  a  "  '^'*»  *^* 

On.,  of  .„c  „„i,L  I,  J ::,, «'::.;;::'"?'  """f  ^ 

"'iimal  lui8  HO  hiunun-liko  .„   .v  ^'^  ""  "^'"^' 

«o  ul.0  in  tl,orc/n     0  0  ;:?"""""  ^'^  ^"""»-'--e. 
the  pa«HionB  of  1  un.rtv      T,  """"  '''  '^'"'''^^''  '"-«  ^^ 

«-itl.  tho  utmost  diiliculfv  tl    f    f         ""'  ^"^  '^  ^"^^ 
tl'om  fnun  Htuvin-.  or  "oI^k     "  "''"'  "^"''^  ^^^'^'«"t 
"P  :   and  tl.o  waln.s        ifr     '^.  '''•■'  ^'"  '^••'«""  -''^'"o 
forcd,  .lisporsc         ;i     ti!''''"^  ^"'^""''■«  *'-  -in 
mo.t  daring  manner         *'  "  ''^'''"^  '"■"'««'^'  i«  « 

For  a  time  Captain  Pl.ipp^  ^,3  so  surrounded  hj  ice. 


;^^^Crr-r— rjTt.:- 


78 


COOK.  — MACKENZIE. 


the  ice.  But  on  the  9th  the  ships  were  moved  a  little 
through  some  small  openings  ;  and  in  the  course  of  the 
day  the  J  got  past  the  boats,  and  took  them  on  board 
ugain.  On  the  morrow  a  favorable  wind  sprang  up ;  all 
sail  was  set,  and,  after  forcing  their  way  through  much 
heavy  ice,  the  ships  cleared  it,  and  gained  the  open  sea. 
The  season  was  now  so  far  advanced  that  nothing  more 
could  be  attempted,  and  the  expedition  returned  to 
England. 

In  1116  Cook  sailed  on  the  fatal  expedition  which  cost 
England  her  famous  navigator,  with  instructions  to  at- 
tempt the  passage  of  the  Icy  Sea  from  Behring's  Strait 
to  BaflQn's  Bay.  The  clause  of  the  act  above  referred 
to,  wherein  Hudson's  Strait  was  exclusively  specified, 
was  altered  to  include  "  any  northern  passage"  for  ships  ; 
and  five  thousand  pounds  was  further  voted  to  any  one 
who  should  get  within  one  degree  ui'  the  pole.  Cook, 
with  all  his  perseverance,  could  not  penetrate  beyond  Icy 
Cape,  latitude  70°  20',  where  he  found  the  ico  stretch- 
ing in  a  compact  mass  across  to  the  opposite  l  jntinrfnt, 
which  he  also  visited,  sailing  as  far  as  Cape  North,  on 
the  coast  of  Asia.  It  would  appear  that  cxpectatioiiu 
prev.ailcd  of  the  enterprising  mariner's  success ;  for  h 
vessel  was  sent  to  Baffin's  Bay  to  wait  for  him,  iu 
1777,  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  Pickersgill. 

One  other  journey  within  this  century  remains  to  be 
Loticed  —  that  by  Mackenzie,  under  sanction  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  with  objects  similar  to  those  cf 
Ilearne.  In  1789  he  left  Fort  Chipewyan,  crossed  Slave 
Lake,  and  descended  the  Mackenzie  River,  a  stream  of 
much  greater  magnitude  than  the  Coppermine,  to  an 
island  whore  the  tide  rose  and  fell.  But,  as  in  the  case 
of  his  predecessor,  we  have  no  certainty  that  he  reached 
the  ocean.  Rivers,  however,  play  an  important  part  in 
Arctic  discovery  ;  and  it  was  something  gained  to  know 


ROSS  AND  PARRY. 


79 


hat  the  Hoa  could  be  reached  by  their  n.eans.     Wo  mav 
here  obBorve,  once  for  all,  that  these  land  exped^  ions 
Jhose  pr.me  object  has  been  to  determine  the  northern 

TatT  1  f  T"''  "^  "^*  *"  ^«  confounded  wh 
Ihe  attemp  s  to  discover  the  north-west  passage 

The  result  of  these  discouragements  was  a  cessation 
of  .aval  researches,  which  continued  for  many  yea  s 

p  at.  '^^'t  e'  ^'^"^^^,  *°^'  ''^^^'  -  -^<^-  -d  •:;.: 

w    ch  cu     off  T7"-T  ''"^  ''•^"^  ««"*-"•-  before 
wliich  cut  off  the  Danish  colonies  in  Greenland  fmn, 

comn.un,cation  with  the  mother  country.     L   18,6-  , 
to  Greenland  whalers  reported  the  sea  to  be  clea  L; 
0    .ce  than  at  any  former  time  within  their  know ledTo 
This  fact  engaged  the  attention  of  tlie  British  A  .31. 
and  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Societ;^:^ 'ot  X  ^^ 

regio  s  Iheir  reply  was  favorable ;  and  in  1818  tw-. 
expeditions  were  fitted  out- the  o;.  to  sc^r  tl 
north  west  passage,  the  other  to  reach  the  pole      Ca, 

ward     lauy,  ui  the  vessels  Isabella  and  Alexander 

described  J;  n  ^  '''""'"'  '^"  ^'''*  '''""'""^ 

osc.ibed  by  Luflin  as  existing  at  the  head  of  the  vast 

bay  which  he  so  diligently  explored  ;  and   in  c^^vil 
ou  these  instructions,  the  commander;  fou  d    ,"  Z    f 
-  applaud  the  care  and  perseverance  of  the  a    o  ntv 
.ator  w       ,,,,  ,,^^^  ^^^^^^  huili:'    V  ars! 

t  must  be  remembered  that  we  are  now  treating  of  a 
nod  when  science  put  forward  its  imperati      cL"  L 

than  a  meagie  -'''art  of  a  previously-unexplored  coast 

^fntftr"""^  'T  ^"""^^^'^  and'the::  iXt 
'tants.     Astronomy,  geology,  meteorology,  magnetism 
natural  history,  were  all  clamorous  for  nfw  fact",  a"  f"; 


80 


BOSS  AND  PARRY. 


Batisfactory  tests  of  those  already  known  ;  and  not  only 
raen  of  science,  but  the  public  at  large,  looked  with  deep 
interest  to  the  results. 

The  open  state  of  the  8ef\  greatly  facilitated  the  pur- 
poses of  the  expedition.  On  the  18th  of  April  the  navi- 
gators sailed  down  the  Thames,  and  by  the  end  of  the 
month  were  off  the  Shetland  Islands.  On  the  f.l.j  of 
May  they  came  in  view  of  Cape  Farewell,  round  ^vhich, 
as  usual,  were  floating  numerous  and  lofty  icebergs  of 
the  most  varied  forms  and  tints.  On  the  14th  of  June 
they  reached  the  Whale  Islands,  where  they  were 
informed  by  the  governor  of  the  Danish  settlement  that 
the  past  winter  had  been  uncommonly  severe  ;  that  the 
neighboring  bays  and  straits  had  been  all  frozen  two 
montlis  earlier  than  usual ;  and  that  some  of  the  channels 
northward  of  his  station  were  still  inaccessible,  owing 
to  the  ice.  On  the  17th  of  June,  in  the  neighborliood 
of  Waygat  Island,  an  impenetrable  barrier  obliged  the 
discoverers  to  stop  their  course,  making  themselves 
fast  to  an  iceberg,  and  having  forty-five  whale-ships  in 
company.  Observations  made  ashore  proved  this  island 
to  be  misplaced  on  the  maps  by  no  less  than  five 
degrees  of  longitude.  On  the  1th  of  August,  in  the 
same  latitude,  a  heavy  gale  sprang  up,  which,  driving 
the  ice  against  the  vessels,  Euide  a  display  of  its  terrible 
power.  Providentially,  when  instant  destruction  was 
expected,  the  mass  receded,  and  the  ships,  owiiig  to  the 
extraordinary  strength  of  their  construction,  escaped 
without  material  injury. 

Proceeding  along  a  high  mountainous  coast,  the 
expedition  came  to  a  tribe  of  Esquimaux,  wh(;,  of  all 
luman  beings,  seemed  to  live  in  a  state  of  the  deepest 
seclusion.  They  had  never  before  seen  men  belonging 
to  the  civilized  world,  or  to  a  race  different  from  their 
own.     The  first  party  whom  the  navigators  approached 


80 


BOSS  AND  PARRY. 


Batisfactory  tests  of  those  already  known  ;  and  not  only 
men  of  science,  but  the  public  at  large,  looked  with  deep 
interest  to  the  results. 

The  open  state  of  the  sea  groatly  facilitated  the  pur- 
poses of  the  expedition.  On  the  18tli  of  April  the  navi- 
gators sailed  down  the  Thames,  and  by  the  end  of  the 
month  were  off  the  Shetland  Islands.  On  the  27th  of 
May  they  came  in  view  of  Cape  Farewell,  round  which, 
as  usual,  were  floating  numerous  and  lofty  icebergs  of 
the  most  varied  forms  and  tints.  On  the  14t'i  of  June 
they  reached  the  Whale  Islands,  where  they  were 
iiiformed  by  the  governor  of  the  Danish  settlement  that 
the  past  winter  had  been  uncommonly  severe  ;  that  the 
neighboring  bays  and  straits  had  been  all  frozen  two 
months  earlier  than  usual ;  and  that  some  of  the  channels 
northward  of  his  station  were  still  inaccessible,  owing 
to  the  ice.  On  the  17th  of  June,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Waygat  Isiand,  an  impenetrable  barrier  obliged  the 
discoverers  to  stop  their  course,  making  themselves 
fast  to  an  iceberg,  and  having  forty-five  v/hale-ships  in 
company.  Observations  made  ashore  proved  this  island 
to  be  misplaced  on  the  maps  by  no  less  than  five 
degrees  of  longitude.  On  the  7th  of  August,  in  the 
game  latitude,  a  heavy  gale  sprang  up,  which,  driving 
the  ice  against  the  vessels,  made  a  display  of  its  terrible 
power.  Providentially,  when  instant  destruction  was 
expected,  the  mass  receded,  and  the  snips,  owing  to  the 
extraordinary  strength  of  their  construction,  escaped 
without  material  injury. 

Proceeding  along  a  high  mountainous  coast,  the 
expedition  came  to  a  tribe  of  Esquimaux,  who,  of  all 
luman  beings,  seemed  to  live  in  a  state  of  the  deepest 
Beclusion.  They  had  never  before  seen  m.en  belonging 
to  the  civilized  world,  or  to  a  race  different  from  their 
own.     The  first  party  whom  the  navigators  approached 


ROSS  AND  TARRY. 

Showed  every  sicrn  of  alarm,  dreading    as  ,v.«     n 
wards  understood,  a  fatal  inliuence  fro™ 'th.  ^^^' 

or  beings  who.  ti.ey  regarded  al  Z  .TJ;"" 
known  species.  They  soon,  however  acJuL/  """ 
confidence,  and  gave  the  n'sual  p  -  of  o  T  bv  f  T'" 
free  v,,th  whatever  they  could  cL.  ^  '""'""« 

the  general  usage,  theyi^^l  ;:  7„::^;,  T"^'"^^ 
powerful  teams  of  dotrs  •  thofr  nl  V       ^^  ^^^''^'^  ^"fJ 

Tly  .ejooled  with  horro,-  ,l,o  pr„Cd  "^vl        r'T    ' 
cult,  Bwoetmoats,  or  snirif^  ■  .  ,    '"'=""=»  "'  '■■«• 

from  various  spec  esof  S  ,',        '"°  .'  "'  "  """"'•^'^ 
Captain  Ho,,  s  v  jed  Uv  ,lt°"^  *""""'  """■■■  P"'"'"- 

lt.e  »„„wy  covering  olCrilrrr  '"""''  "'■""«''■ 
wl.ite  for  a  tint  ofdoep  t  i^L"  .  T^St'lr""" 

Ca,ffp;:^:,rrii--:cr.;ri:-- 

enclosed  byLnd  or  ob  hn'.^T''''  *'  ^^  ^'^'»"  ^''-^^^ 

S(unKls  very  quicMy  Cuh     ,  ''"^"''«''"«    an^'    Whale 
-trance,  cc^i:;;i^;^7^^P^-''»..  even  t.^^ 

a.Hl  to  afford  no  hope  o  a  p  J.at  A  t'  "'  "'"'  '^^' 
«tretched  towards  ho  north  ^n  A'  '''  "P^""'"^''' 
they  could  not,  i„  this  hi  r  Tl  ^"  "^""^"°^  '^^' 
favorable  as  t;  th  ^hf^Vh  t:' ''' '■""^''^^^^^^ -'^ 
next  to  Sir  Thon^as  Sm,t  '  «  '"  ''''^-  ^«  ^'^^e 
scribed  as  the  l!  ,  "  "  '  ""''  ^''"^'^  ^^^^  ^e- 
:bese  coasts.  ThrwasT'  r/' •''""  whole  circuit  of 
C  """'  '^^^'"^^^  ^'th  greater  atteutic n  ; 


r 


Wl. 


82 


ROSS  AND    PARRY 


but  Captain  Ross  satisfied  himself  that  he  iiad  distinctly 
seen  ii,  at  the  distance  of  eigiiteen  leagues,  completely 
enclosed  by  land.  lie  soon  arrived  at  an  extensive 
bay,  which  had  hitherto  been  unobserved ;  afterwards 
to  that  which  Baffin  called  Alderman  Jones's  Sound ; 
but  in  respect  to  both,  the  ice  at  their  entrance,  and  tho 
apparent  boundary  of  high  land  in  the  interior,  led,  as 
in  tho  other  instances,  to  an  unfavorable  conclusion. 

Tho  season  was  now  somewhat  advanced,  the  end  of 
August  approached,  tho  sun  set  after  an  uninterrupted 
day  of  two  months  and  a  half,  and  a  thick  fog  rendered 
the  lengthening  nights  more  gloomy.  The  land,  seen 
at  some  distance,  consisted  of  very  high  and  steep  hills, 
presenting,  however,  some  spots  fit  for  human  habita- 
tion. An  opening  forty-five  miles  wide,  to  the  soutli- 
ward  of  a  promontory  which  was  named  Cape  Charlotte, 
was  decided  against  on  the  uaual  grounds.  On  the  30th 
of  August  tlie  expedition  came  to  a  most  magnificent 
Inlet,  bordered  by  lofty  mountains  of  peculiar  grandeur, 
while  the  water,  being  clear,  and  free  from  ice,  pre- 
sented so  tempting  an  appearance,  that  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  refrain  from  entering.  This  channel,  which  soon 
proved  to  be  Lancaster  Sound,  was  ascended  for  thirty 
miles,  during  which  run  officers  and  men  crowded  the 
topmast,  filled  with  enthusiastic  hope,  and  judging  that 
it  iiflbrdcd  a  much  fairer  prospect  of  success  than  any 
of  those  so  hastily  passed.  Captain  Ross,  however, 
eoon  thought  that  he  discovered  a  high  ridge  stretching 
directly  across  the  iidet;  and  though  a  great  part  of  it 
was  deeply  involved  in  mist,  a  passage  in  this  direction 
was  by  him  judged  to  be  hopeless.  The  sea  being 
open,  however,  the  commander  proceeded  ;  but  about 
twelve  o'clock,  Mr.  Beverley,  the  assistant-surgeon, 
came  down  from  the  crow's  nest,  and  stated  that  he  had 
seen  the  land  extending  very  nearly  across  the  entire 


BUCHAN  AND  FRANKLIN. 


Day.     ITereupon,  it  is  said   nil  u 

oven  1,-  ,„„  LiJg^^- ^^.^Zl.^T  """""""'i- 

■i.».i"c.„  aa.  ac„: ',::  M  -Jon',, '°, "°'","'"'  '■« 
!^-.i .-.» oppo:4":;„r;T; :  a£  T'\  ^"'" 

>ng  iinsottled,  he  madn  fl.„  .•       ,  '''"'"'<''^  *''«"  l^ecom- 
o"t  of  Lancaster  Sound  '"''  '^  '''''  *^«  ^««-J« 

orn  shore,  withont  sooinl  "'""'^  "'""^  ^''«  ^««t- 

'-•qual  promise  C„2„r^,:"fr^"''''^''  ^^"''^^'^ 
'"■''ff-n-tude  ;  but,  as  T  cou  d  1  T  ,""'  ""'  ''""'^'^  '"» 
''^titudos  of  Iludaol'  bT;  -t  ;  ."i'^,  "^^'  ""  '"^''-  ■ 
P-sago  into  the  Arctfc  ^1  ."f  ''"'«  chance  of  a 
'•ore,  some  of  these  shL?'  '"'  «"rveying,  the^  . 
October.      The  c2  '        '''''"'"^  ^''""^  ^^''^rly  in 

n.ost  decided  con  c.:  Zl!^  '"f  ^"^  ""^-' '- 
''eon  perfectly  correc  ani  tit  T  '  '""''^^''^-^  had 
I'ay,  aflnrding  no  en  '  *  Lancaster  Sound  was  a 

«ven  any  st  5t  e.ir.??  """  '"^  ^'^■^^'^'•"  ^^a.     If 

'00  with  which  it  is  filled  ^'^'''  ^"  ^^^count  of  the 

^'^'^-•^'  the  oxpeditlrrs  ,^tdtSi^"^;^ 

'»'  ^-ogard  to  whose  fate  so  mucZ  n   ^  ^'•'^"khn, 

si.bse.ment  years  exc  til   .  T"\Pf ''^  '"t«'-e«t  ^as  in 

a«  midshipman  of      ePor^      '"  "^^^'  '"  ^•'^'••^  "^« 
ployed  by  Cant-un  P      ^  ^'^P'^'^^'  ""^  of  the  ships  em- 

-I.P..nu3,a.mid.pmTnt^d"miS:.."ra:^ 


RJ 


nUCIlAN   AND   FRANKLIN 


!80l  to  1808,  lie  wuh  in  tlio  floct  with  .VcIhpm  at  the 
litittic  of  Copciiliugcri.  lie  wiiH  next  appointed  luttiiig- 
tieiitciiaiit  in  tlio  li<-(irunl  ;  and  waH  lieutenant  oi'  tlio 
Helifioplion  in  tlio  battle  of  Traliilji^ar,  in  IHOf),  and  alwo 
in  tli<!  iU'dford  in  tlio  attack  on  New  OrleanH,  in  1815, 
where  he  conmunded  in  the  l)oatH,  waw  wounded,  gazet- 
ted, and  highly  Hpoken  of.  He  was  considered  a  good 
nautical  Hiirveyor,  well  versed  in  the  usoof  inBtruinentfl, 
and  a  thorough  seatnan. 

Captain  Heeehey,  to  whom  we  arc  indebted  for  an 
interesting  account  of  the  present  voyage,  observes  : 
"The  peculiarity  of  the  proposed  route  aiVorded  oppor- 
tunities of  making  some  useful  experiments  on  the  ellip- 
tical figure  of  the  earth  :  on  magnetic  phenomena ;  on 
the  refraction  of  the  atmosjtliere  in  high  latitudes  in 
ordinary  circumstances,  and  over  extensive  masses  of 
ice  ;  and  on  the  temperature  and  spccilic  gravity  of  the 
sea  at  the  surface,  and  at  various  depths;  and  on  meto- 
orological  and  (.ther  interesting  phenomena."  The 
vessels  sailed  in  .\pril,  1818;  Alagdalena  Hay,  in  Spitz- 
bergen,  having  been  appointed  as  a  place  cf  rendezvous, 
in  case  of  separation. 

Though  this  expedition,  like  that  of  Rosa,  was  a  fail- 
ure in  its  main  object,  yet,  uidike  the  other,  it  was  not 
owing  to  any  want  of  exertion,  zeal,  or  intelligence,  in 
the  two  commanders  or  oflicers  ;  on  the  contrary,  the 
two  ships  were  supplied  with  some  of  those  who,  in 
future  voyages,  so  greatly  distinguished  themselves  as 
to  obtain  the  highest  steps  of  promotion,  aTid  to  recive 
honorary  rewards.  The  instructions  directed  that  tiiey 
were  to  make  the  best  of  their  way  into  the  Spitzber^cn 
Bcas,  where  they  should  endeavor  to  pass  to  the  north- 
ward, between  Spitzbergen  and  (Jreeidand,  without 
stopping  on  either  of  their  coasts,  and  use  their  best 
endeavors  to  reach  the  North  Pole :  with  a  si'ggeiition. 


BUCIIAN  AND   FIIANKLIN.  gg 

that  whcMo  the  8oa  Ih  .loopeHt  and  loast  connected  with 
the  hi.Ml,  ,t  will  I.e  fn„nd  niont  clo!«-  of  ice 

On  the  18,1,  c.r  May  th.  Hhips  ...c tl-rod  a  Boyore 

gu  0,  and  under  ..ven  «,,„»  Htay«.i,„  .,,,  .....tl  « 
wale  deep  ,n   the   waves.     On   the  .,„.   tl.oy  nil 
-- iHiand,  .tnated  in  hU.  U.  3;r  N.,  .^^^ 
40    K      lunnorly  ho  noted  for  itn  linhery.  bein^^n,  1 
ireqiientod    ly  walruHCH       l.'->.  '^  " 

1  -y    wmruHCH.      l<or  nutny   vcurs   the   Atnc 

alH  hou,,.  often  captured  I.y  the  crew  of  a  si.glo  shin 

>n  the  courHe  of  six  or  seven  hours  ^ 

The  diHcovery  ships  passed  sK.wly  through  the  small 

8.0...     Ihe  progress  through  such  a  labyrinth  of  frozen 

cr  r:,rn:tT^'''"r'""^'"''.^^  ^■■^"^-  ^''^  "«^--  -" 

crew  (lid   not   tiie  of  watching   the   sceno       r. .  +  • 

B^.y  thus  desc..H,es  the  genial  i:;:::LcS^" 

Ve.y  ew  of  „s  had  ever  seen  the  sun  at  midnight    and 

this  ...ght  happening  to  be  particularly  clear   ht  h        . 

rod  disc,  curiously  distorted  by  .-efract  on    'n     «       "' 

The  r,.ys  were  too  oblique  to  illuminate  more  than  the 
inequalities  of  the  floes    and    f-.H;.      *i 

or  d,st„rw  „y  .„„  „„„,„„,  „  j^r  f  t  J  a  :r 

KuuLiii  g  as  If  with  precious  metals  " 

">««>U8.    or  ..he  l,ab,ts  a„J  character  of  the   «lr„. 


:  .3>:  .  J>/ 


S£ii*4ii*.y 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


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I.I 


■  50     ""'== 


2.5 


2.2 


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!:  1^    III  2.0 

u    ,.  — — 

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1.25      1.4 

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^ 

6"     - 

► 

Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.\.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


tv^^..      ^>\     #Qj\ 


" "    %" 


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86 


BUCHAN  AND  FRANKLIN 


Lieut.  Bcechey  gii^es,  after  frequent  intercourse  with 
vliem,  a  very  interesting  account.  Their  affoction  for 
tl.oir  young,  and  their  unflinching  courage  in  defending 
ihnni,  are  remarkable  ;  not  moro  so  their  coirpassionatc 
conduct  toward  a  wounded  companion,  wliom  they  will 
-.ever  leave  till  carried  off  to  a  place  of  safety ;  and 
3ven  the  young  ones  on  such  occasions  will  turn  fiercely 
against  the  boats  of  the  pursuers.  A  single  instance 
will  suffice  to  show  the  care  and  affection  bestowed  on 
their  young. 

"  We  were  greatly  amused  by  the  singular  and  affec- 
tionate conduct  of  a  walrus  towards  its  young.  In  the 
vast  sheet  of  ice  that  surrounded  the  ships  there  were 
occasionally  many  pools ;  and,  when  the  weather  was 
clear  and  warm,  animals  of  various  kinds  would  fre- 
quently rise  and  sport  about  in  them,  or  crawl  from 
thence  upon  the  ice  to  bask  i  .  the  warmth  of  the  sun. 
A  walrus  rose  in  one  of  these  pools  clooe  to  the  ship, 
and,  finding  everything  quiet,  dived  down  and  brought 
up  its  young,  which  it  held  by  its  breast  by  pressing  it 
with  its  flipper.  In  this  manner  it  moved  about  the  pool, 
keeping  in  an  erect  posture,  and  always  directing  thd 
face  of  the  young  toward  the  vessel.  On  the  slightest 
movement  on  board,  the  motlier  released  her  flipper  and 
pushed  the  young  one  under  water ;  but,  when  every- 
thing was  again  quiet,  brought  it  up  as  before,  and  for 
a  length  of  time  continued  to  play  about  in  the  pool,  to 
the  great  amusement  of  the  seamen,  who  gave  her  credit 
for  abilities  in  tuition  which,  though  possessed  of  con- 
siderable sagacity,  she  hardly  merited." 

On  one  occasion,  some  of  tiie  crew  of  the  Trent,  having 
wounded  a  walrus,  took  to  their  boat,  when  they  were 
assailed  by  a  large  number  of  walruses.  These  animals 
rose,  snortiig  with  rage,  and  rushed  at  the  boat ;  and 
it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  they  were  prevented 


•iiUCHAN  AND   FRANKLIN.  ^7 

tuskH  on  the  gunwale,  or  rush  at  it  with  their  heaoH 

eant,  that  there  was  not  time  to  load  a  musket      Th» 
..urser  fortunately  had  his  gun  loaded,  and  th  ten  now 

1  .]...'  '!  '"^''^''^  ''  "P'  ^»^'  thrusting  the 
r  s  whor     .IT  ''  ^  '^^^^  *"^  formidablf  wat 

bowels.     Ihe  wound  proved  mortal,  and  the  animal 


ATTACK   Br    WALRC8E8. 


ell  back  among  his  companions,  who  imraediatclv 
desisted  from  the  attack,  assembled  round  him,  anT  „  ' 
moment  quitted  the  boat,  swimming  away  a    hard  as 

w.th«.e,r  tusks,  and  assiduously  preserved  f-om  sinidng'^ 
Many  similar  acts  of  compassion,  on  the  partof  thes. 

Observed.      On   one  occasion,  wnen  several  walrueea 


I 


58 


BUCHAN  AND  FRANKLIN. 


Wfte  attacked  upon  a  beach,  near  Magdalena  Bay,  the 
first  discharge  of  muskets  drove  all  those  who  could 
crawl  into  the  sea  ;  but,  immediately  upon  their  panic 
subsiding,  they  returned  to  the  shore  and  dragged  their 
wounded  companions  into  the  water,  either  by  main 
lorce,  or  by  rolling  them  over  with  their  tuaks. 

On  the  28th  of  May,  the  weather  being  fo^gy  and 
severe,  with  heavy  falls  of  snow,  the  ships  separated, 
and  the  Trent  stood  to  the  northward  toward  Magdalena 
Bay,  the  place  of  rendezvous,  along  the  edge  of  the 
main  body  of  ice :  they  met  here,  and,  seeing  it  impos- 
sible  to  penetrate  the  marginal  line  of  the  ice,  and  the 
season  being  very  early,  the  commander  determined  on 
passing  a  few  days  in  that  bay,  in  which  they  anchored 
on  the  3d  of  June.     The  ice  was  in  the  cove  and  upper 
part  of  the  harbor,  but  was  in  a  rapidly  decaying  state, 
and,  on  revisituig  their  anchorage  here  in  the  beginning 
of  August,  it  had  intirely  disappeared.     Magdalena  Bay 
is  rendered  consp"  juous  by  four  glaciers,  the  smallest 
two  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  on  the  slope  of  a  moun- 
tain.    It  is  called  the  Hanging  Iceberg,  and  seems,  so 
Beechey  says,  as  if  a  very  slight  matter  would  detach 
it  from  the  mountain,  and  precipitate  it  into  the  sea. 
The  largest  of  the  four  extends  two  or  three  miles  in- 
4nd :  owing  to  the  great  rents  in  the  surface,  it  haa 
been  named  the  Wagon-way,  from  the  resemblance  of 
the  fissures  to  ruts  made  by  whf^-ls.     Several  glaciers 
similar  to  those  were  observed  n    *r  Dane's  Gut,  the 
largest  about  ten  thousand  feet  in  length  by  two  or  three 
hundred  feet  in  perpendicular  height.     In  the  vicinity  of 
these  icebergs  a  strict  observance  of  silence  is  neces- 
sary    the  explosion  of  a  gun  scarcely  ever  fails  to  bring 
down  one  of  these  masses.     Mr.  Beechey  says  that  on 
two  occasions  they  witnessed  avalanches  on  the  most 
magnificent  scale. 


!■■ 


BUCHAN  AND  FRANKLIN.  gj 

"  The  first  was  occasioned  by  the  dispKar^^    * 
.ct  .(  .bo„tl,ulf  .  „„„.,  dieCcefroLTe    •'""'■ 
Immediately  after  the  rcDortoftl.,  .    '^'"°'- 

;..in.  u,„.d^r  „ae  ..ea:^';::::  its  oVr  jn 

(glacier),  and  in  a  few  seconds  more  iLn  imm  * 

trokea  „,  ,,„  head.on,  i^Tth^s  rxfe  ^^ 

ofthe  launch,  supposing  themselves  beyond  the  re  Jh  oT 
nfluence,  quietly  looked  upon  the  s'ceno,  when  p'es 

wave       h  !       '""P^*^'^  ^"^^  ^^y  t^«   -cceeding 

Ty  exam  „ed  tL'b    T  ^/^^^^''--t  ^ad  subsided^ 
lucy  exammed  the  boat,  and  found  her  so  badly  stove 

the^dttln^e  J  U  radtentarrtt^JL  "  '"^^^"^" 
found  it  to  be  ninety-six  feet  "  ^     '  ''"^''  """^ 

In  viewing  the  same  glacier  from  a  boat  af  «  ^-  ♦ 
a  .cond  avalanche  too'k  place,  wTic^atr^l:  ttrnT^e 
grat,ficat.on  of  witnessing  the  creation,  as  it  werlof  ! 
Bea  .ceberg:  an  opportunity  which  has  occurred  to  few 
though  .t  is  generally  understood  that  such  ln«f 
can  only  be  generated  on  shore  ""°'*"'^ 

quietlies's  oflTb  "  "  T"''''^  '"^  ^'^'  ^^^^  ^^e 
quie  ness  of  the  bay  was  first  interrupted  by  the  noise 

of  the  falhng  body.     Lieutenant  Franklin  and  myse  f 

had  approached  one  of  these  stupendous  walls  ^fic 

and  were  endeavoring  to  search  into  the  innermost  r ece^ 

of  a  deep  cavern  that  was  near  the  foot  of  the  glacieT 

wh      we  heard  a  report  as  if  of  a  cannon,  and,  furn  nj 

to  the  quarter  whence  it  proceeded,  we  perc;ived  an 

.rnn.ense  piece  of  the  front  of  the  berg  sliding  down  Lm 

the  height  of  two  hundred  feet  at  least  into^he  sea,  an" 

dispersing  the  water  in  every  direction,  accompanied  Jy 


m 


92 


BUCHAN  AND  FRANKLIN. 


a  luud,  grinding  noise,  and  followed  by  a  quantity  ol 
water,  which,  being  previously  lodged  in  the  fiasurcs, 
now  made  its  escape  in  numberless  small  cataracts  ovei 
the  front  of  the  glacier." 

After  describing  the  disturbance  occasioned  by  the 
|)lunge  of  this  enormous  fragment,  and  the  rollers  wlii^n 
swept  over  the  surface  of  the  bay,  and  obliged  the 
Dorothea,  then  careening  at  the  distance  of  lour  miles, 
to  aright,  by  releasing  tiie  tackles,  !»e  thus  proceeds  : 

"  The  piece  that  had  been  disengaged  at  lirst  wholly 
disappeared  under  water,  and  nothing  was  seen  but  a 
violent  boiling  of  the  sea,  and  a  shooting  up  of  clouds 
of  spray,  like  that  which  occurs  ut  the  foot  of  a  great 
cataract.     After  a  short  time  it  reappeared,  riiising  its 
head  fidl  a  hundred  feet  above  tlie  surface,  with  water 
pouring  down  from  .-ill  parts  of  it;  and  then,  laboring  as 
if  doubtful  which  way  it  should  fall,  it  rolled  over,  and, 
after  rocking  about  sonje  minutes,  at  length  became 
settled.     We  now  approached  it,  and  found  it  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  in  circumference,  and  sixty  feet  out  of 
the  water.     Knowing  its  specific  gravity,  and  making  a 
i'air   allowance   for  its  inequalities,  we   computed   its 
weight  at  421,660  tons.     A   stream  of  salt  water  was 
still  pouring  down  its  sitles,  and  there  was  a  continual 
cracking  noise,  as  loud  as  that  of  a  cart-whip,  occa- 
sioned, I  suppose,  by  the  escape  of  fixed  (confined) 
air." 

Mr.  Beecliey  confirms  what  has  frequently  been  found 
and  noticed  —  the  mildness  of  the  temperature  on  the 
western  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  there  being  little  or  no 
sensation  of  cold,  though  the  thermometer  might  be  only 
a  few  degrees  above  the  freezing  point.  The  brilliant 
and  lively  effect  of  a  clear  day,  when  the  sun  shines 
forth,  with  a  pure  sky,  whose  azure  hue  is  so  intense  as 
to  find  no  parallel  even  in  the  boasted  Italian  sky,  aflords. 


BUCIIAN  AND  FRANKLIN. 


98 


h.  Mr.  Becchey  s  opini..,,  a  full  compenHution  for  the 
doudy  and  nunty  weather,  when  the  hills  are  clothed 
w   h  new-fullon  snow  and  all  appears  dreary  and  doso- 
lite.     Ihe  rad.al.on  of  the  nun,  he  observes,  in  some 
sheltered  Situations,  is  so  powerful,  during  two  hours  o.! 
e.thor  sule  of  noon,  that  they  frequently  observed  the 
therfnometer  upon  the  ice  in  the  offing  at  5«°   C2'  fJYo  . 
and  once  at  midnight  it  rose  to   73°,  although  i'a    ho 
shade  at  the  same  time  it  was  only  .Go.     Honce  1 
funnd  vanet.es  of  Alpine  plants,  grasses,  and  lichens 
Buch  as  ,n  the  n,ore  southern  aspects  flourish  in  g  "ai 
luxunance  ;  thoy  are  here  found  ascending  to  a  consid 
erable  ho.ght,  "so  that,"  says  Beechoy,    'we  hav    f  e- 
qnently  seen  the  reindeer  browsing  at  an  elevation  of 
nltoen  hundred  feet." 

On  account  of  the  mildness  of  the  temperature,  the 
Bhore  of  Spuzbergen  are  frequented  by  multitudes  of 
animals  of  vanous  descriptions.  "  I-Vom  an  early  hour 
m  t.:e  morrmg  u„til  the  period  of  rest  returned,  the 
Hhores  around  ,s  reverberated  with  the  merry  cry  of  the 
ht  le  auk  w.hocks,  divers,  cormorants,  gullj,  and  other 
aquatic  bmls;  and,  wherever  we  went,  groups  of  waT 

T;  "t"'f  "'  ''"  '""'  '""'f^''^'^  *••-"•  Playlul  roar 
^v.th  the  husky  bark  of  the  seal."     The  1  ttlo  auks  or 
rotges  (the  ,./..  alle.)  are  stated  to  be  so  numero^tha 
we  have  frequently  seen  an  uninterrupted  line  of  them 

xtend.ng  full     alf-way  over  the  bay,  or  to  a  distance 

thn  y  have  fallen  at  one  shot.  This  living  column 
nnght  e  about  six  yards  broad  and  as  many^deep  so 
inat,  allowing  sixteen  birds  \o  a  cubic  yard,  there  wou  d 
be  ourmdhonsof  these  creatures  on  the  wing  at  one 
time.  This  number,  ho  adds,  appears  very  large  • 
yet  wnen  it  is  told  that  the  little  rotges  rise  in  such 
.nultitudos  as  to  darken  the  air,  and  that^inhoris 


94 


BUCIIAN  AND   FRANKLIN. 


1  it.- 


Jlfttinctly  i/Klible  at  a  distance  of  four  miles,  the  estimate 
will  not  appear  to  be  exaggerated. 

At  Vogel  Sang  and  Cloven  Cliff,  between  which  is 
Fair  Haven,  wherein  the  ships  anchored,  the  surround- 
ing islands  are  described  as  clothed  with  licliens  and 
other  rich  pasturage  for  reindeer,  which  creatures  are 
here  so  abundant  (upon  Vogel  Sang  in  particular),  that 
this  island  alone  supplied  the  expedition  with  forty  car- 
casses in  high  condition,  the  fat  on  the  loins  being  from 
four  to  six   inches  thick,  and  a  carcass   prepared   foi 
dressing  weighing  two  hundred  and  eighty-fivo  pounds. 
These  fine  creatures  showed  evident  marks  of  affection 
for  each  other,     "  They  were  at  this  time  in  pairs,  and 
when  one  was  shot  the  other  would  hang  over  it,  and 
occasionally  lick  it,  apparently  bemoaning  its  fate  ;  and, 
if  not  immediately  killed,  would   stand  three  or  four 
shots  rather  than  desert  its  fallen  companion."     "  This 
compassionate   conduct,"    continues    Beechey,    "it  is 
needless  to  say,  doubled  our  chance  of  success,  though 
I  must  confess  it  was  obtained  in  viol.'ition  of  our  better 
feelings."     Those  animals  are  said  to  take  to  the  water 
freely,  and  swim  fron-.  one  island  to  another.    The  boats 
of  the  Trent  took  four,  which  they  wished  to  retain 
alive  ;   but   they  were   so  wild  that   they  broke   their 
slender  limbs,  and  inflicted  other  serious  wounds,  so 
that  it  became  necessary  to  put  an  end  to  their  suffer- 
ings by  killing  them. 

At  one  of  the  islets  near  Vogel  Sang  were  also  tho 
King  Eider-ducks,  in  such  numbers  that  it  was  impossi- 
ble, almost,  to  walk  without  treading  on  their  nests, 
which  they  defended  witfi  determined  resolution.  If 
driven  off  by  foxes,  or  other  large  animals,  they  hastily 
draw  the  down  of  the  nest  over  the  eggs,  and  glue  it 
with  a  yellow  fluid,  not  only  to  preserve  the  warmth  of 
the  eggs,  but  that^  being  of  so  offensive  a  nature,  the 


flIJCIIAN  .\ND  FIUNKLIN.  g^ 

iR^xes  would  not  touch  tho  eggs  tainted  with  it.  Po,e« 
and  bears  arc  everywhere  found  on  the  shorn  , 
n.oico;  and  tho  sea  about  Spitzberl  is  at  »  ."" 
a^  the  .and,  fro.n  the  multituro/bTZairlt: 
).igffcrH,  malmouks,  kittiwukes,  and  the  Test  of  thn 
nibe  while  the  amphibious  ani.a.s  and  Z^i^:^ 
•oth  he  .CO  and  the  water,  from  tho  huge  w  ale  to  I  " 
"    "te  oho   on  which  it  feeds,  swallowing  perhl   " 

llleA^uteSrt^he'Ut^^^-^*^'^^^^^^ 
t'.ose  within  t^o'Il^  :  t  rrriV'"'^'^"^  '^^'" 
bo  BtiIln...SH,  silence,  and  solitude  "^''"'''  '' 

"ater.      I„    going  westerly  thev  foil  in  ^-,1,  ^ 

whalo-ship.,  ,y  „,„■„„  tho/lear/ed;!a  "the  t  rr 

I-induig,  from  the  view  afforded  by  the  hills  th.f  .• 
otn  ot  July,  and  sailed  as  far  as  80"  15'  N.,  where 


T 


Li    ''V.   ,r 


96 


flUClIAN   AND   FRANR.LIN. 


the  same  linponotrablo  barrier  obHtnictod  their  furthoi 
progreHH.  On  the  roiiowiiifjf  duy,  however,  ho  rapid 
had  been  the  motion  of  the  ice  during  the  night,  thai 
chcnnols  of  water  were  rdiservod  in  every  quartor,  and 
the  wind  was  favorable  for  proceeding  ah>ng  one  of  thr 
open  channels,  Captain  Hnchan  h)Kt  not  u  moment  in 
pUHhing  hiH  ship  into  one  of  theHC  openings,  Hitreading 
every  bai'  his  masts  would  bear,  and  was  cheerfully 
followed  by  his  enterprising  consort,  to  the  great  joy 
of  all  on  1,'oard.  In  the  cvcJiing,  however,  the  channels 
began  to  close  again,  and  the  vessels  were  soon  beset 
and  pressed  dose  by  the  packed  ice.  This  was  the  end 
(»f  their  voyage  northward,  and  the  latitude  gaini'd 
was  80"  34'  N.  In  vain  thoy  labored  two  days  in  drag 
ging  the  vessels  with  ropes  and  ice-anchors  ;  for,  though 
they  had  Ijft  the  ice  behind  them,  the  current  had  car- 
ried them  back  to  the  southward  three  miles,  and  it 
was  clear  that  all  attempts  to  get  one  mile  further  to 
the  northward  would  bo  vain. 

Captain  Buchan  being  now  satisfied  that  he  had  given 
the  ice  a  fair  trial  in  the  vicinity  of  Spitzbergon,  resolved 
on  standing  over  toward  the  coast  of  Greenland.  IIjiv- 
ing  succeeded  in  getting  the  ships  to  the  edge  of  the 
pack,  and  sailing  along  it,  a  violent  gale  of  wind  came 
on  so  suddenly  that  thoy  were  at  once  reduced  to  storm 
staysails.  The  ice  was  setting  fast  upon  them,  and  the 
Dorothea  being  nearest  to  it,  in  order  to  escape  imme- 
diate shipwreck,  it  was  deemed  necessa  y  to  take  refuge 
among  it.  The  Trent  followed  her  example,  and  dashed 
into  the  "unbroken  line  of  furious  breakers,  in  which 
:i-menso  pieces  of  ice  wore  heaving  and  subsiding  with 
the  waves,  and  dashing  together  with  a  violence  which 
nothing,  apparently,  but  a  solid  body,  could  withstand, 
occasioning  such  a  noise  that  it  was  with  the  greatesl 
difficulty  we  could  make  our  orders  heard  by  the  crew  '' 


M,: 


CDCHAN  ANT)  FRANKLIN  97 

pestuous  ocean."  °  *"®  *^">- 

of  the  great  'J con,,       f       ',"  '"  ^"■P^'i"""  "ith  that 

Have  aS:     Ve  "  'S::'    °"'''  ■»■»■'  «-«% 

ore.  preserved  tl  3    f    'T  """""^  ~"'''<^''  *<' 

tap,„i„  Beechev  sf;r  °"""  ''°''  "^'"■'*"- 

"Ot  conceal  ti  pridoT  !»■       ■  °"°""''°  '  ""*  '  ""1 
decisive  Jein^lh    f    '"/"""^^''''g  «>=  bold  and 

eoa,„.„der  o/^ ttif  vcri^rHtrl^  '- 

'"■a  own\„,d",  a^d"  „,r,  i;:;rc'r-r;f  '^--f 
™o^"::i:r;re\r^r"?^^^^^^ 

I«l.t  ice,  ca:e  in  vLe  f  co^^f  t  T,*^  """"^  «"' 

'Captain  Beochey  proceeds  to  give  a  vivir?  .n  7 
account  of  the  stito  of  fh„   i  •  ^"'^  graphic 

boll,  which  in  tlJ  L       ' .      r  '°  *"■'"•  *"  'be  ship's 
wnicn  ,n  11,0  heaviest  gale  of  wind  had  never  sln.ct 

to  r:;^::;:";f "  ™nti„„aii,  that  itw::::™ 

lo  release  ..  e  st.ps,  which  were  so  disabled  that  thl 


Wl 


98 


BUCIIAN  AND  FRANKLIN. 


Dorothea  waa  in  a  foundering  condition.  They  mad':> 
the  best  of  their  way  to  Fair  Haven  in  a  sinking  stale, 
where  they  repaired  their  damages  as  well  as  they 
could  ;  it  was  obvious,  however,  there  was  au  end  to 
any  further  attempt  as  regarded  the  main  object  of  the 
expedition.  The  Trent  being  the  less  damaged  of  the 
two,  Lieutenant  Franklin  requested  that  he  might  bo 
allowed  to  proceed  alone  in  the  ezeoution  of  the  service. 
This  could  not  be  acceded  to,  as,  in  the  event  which 
nad  occurred.  Captain  Buchan  was  directed  by  his  in- 
structions to  take  command  of  the  Trent,  provided  her 
consort  was  rendered  unserviceable  ;  had  he  done  so, 
the'  Dorothea,  unaccompanied  in  her  way  home,  might 
iiave  risked  the  lives  of  her  crew  in  a  ship  so  shattered 
and  unsafe.  It  was  therefore  decided  that  both  should 
return  home  ;  and  on  the  30th  of  August  they  put  to 
sea,  and  on  the  22d  of  October  arrived  at  Deptford. 


BITUATIOV    OF   THE   TRKMT. 


CIIAPTEK  IV. 

PABRY'n       FIRST      VOYAQP  —rn., 

SOUND. -P„,NCE  REGENT'S  iNLPr""^''**"'  ™«'"'<'K  LANCASTER 
V".LK  »I.ANa-  WINTER  .J^R.'^V*""""''"'  C«ANNKI,.  1  L.Z. 
THEATRICALS.  _„R^,«,^„  ^°^«;«««- SCHRVr.  _  s^OW  BUNONESn 
PEDITION.  ""^     °«^     T»=     ICE.-RKTORN     OF     THE     EX- 

oponinff  so  soacions  unA   •  ^anca^ter  Sound,   an 

qmtted,  appeared  inadl  S'     to      "1,  ""T'' 
tains,"  which   had   baired  tie  „  "■  *'""" 

Ro»B,  were  affirmed  I, v. „         ,  '"L"^"''""  "'  ^ir  Joho 
abortive  veyal  to  be  ,'°  ''""  '""^  P"' '"  ">e 

ion  was  v„,y  dee  dediv       °°    T  '""*"■    ''''■«  "P"- 
«.cond  i„  eoLanf  ^^  '""T^  '''''■»"'•  Parry,  the 

him,  that  he  might  J  |    V  „'""!;';*"'.'"''  ■■"'™^"=''  '» 
bopes,  and  the  J„f  [hl"Uer„::'t^'  ""  °""  »'«"- 

of  t«0  to„.::*d    h   t;.!  "1:      '"^  Griper  g„„.bri^, 
Lid'ion.     These  shin.  Je  ^'  '""""""''"'I  l>y  Lieut. 

♦^r  the  navig:L:':r,,nrfs:;":T  -= '°-'-"-' 

with  ample  provision,  for  two  ver*  ■""  .""-^  *""' 

"r.nti.se„rh„tics,a„deve:;zr:hrs:s 


J  00 


PARRY'S  FIRST   VOYAGE. 


!   .i!  ' 


the  crews  to  endure  the  most  extreme  rigors  of  a  polw 
winter. 

Lieut,  Parry,  dostined  to  outstrip  all  his  predecessors 
in  the  career  of  northern  discovery,  weighed  anchor  at 
the   Nore  on  the   11th   May,  1819,   and   on   the   20th 
rounded  the  remotest  point  of  the  Orkneys.    He  endeav- 
ored to  cross  the  Atlantic  about  the  parallel  of  58",  and, 
though  impeded  during  the  first  fortnight  of  June  by  a 
course  of  unfavorable  weather,  obtained,  on  the    15th, 
from    the  distance   apparently   of  not  less  than   forty 
leagues,  a  view  of  the  lofty  cliffs  composing  Cape  Fare- 
well.    On  the  18th  the  ships  first  fell  in  with  icebergs, 
the  air  being  also  filled  with  petrels,  kittiwukes,  terns, 
and  other  winged  inhabitants  of  the  northern  sky.    lie 
now  made  an  effort  to  push  north  and  west,  through  the 
icy  masses,  in  the  direction  of  Lancaster  Sound ;  but 
these  suddenly  closed  upon  him  ;  and  on  the  25th  both 
vessels  were  so  immovably  beset,  that  no  power  could 
turn  their  heads  a  single  point  of  the  compass.     They 
remained  thus  fixed,  but  safe,  when,  on  the  morning  of 
the  second  day,  a  heavy  roll  of  the  sec  loosened  the 
ice,  and  drove  it  against  them  with  such  violence,  that 
only  their  very  strong  construction  saved  them   from 
severe  injury.     The  discoverers,  therefore,  were  fain  to 
extricate  themselves  as  soon  as  possible ;  and,  resign- 
ing the  idea  of  reaching  Lancaster  Sound  by  the  most 
direct  course,  resolved  to   steer    northward  along  the 
border  of  this  great  icy  field  till  they  should  find  open 
water.     In  this  progress  they  verified  the  observation 
of  Davis,  that  in  the  narrowest  part  of  the  great  sea, 
misnamed  his  Strait,  the  shores  on  each  side  could  be 
seen  at  the  same   moment.     Thus  they  proceeded  till 
they  reached  the  Women's  Islands  and  Hope  Sanderson, 
in  about  latitude  IS".     As  every  step  was  now  likely  to 
carry  them  further  from  their  destinatirn,  Parry  dete^ 


PARRY'S  FIRST  VOYAGE. 


101 


mined  upon  a  dosperato  push  to  the  westward.  Favored 
*n  h  a  .nodorate  breeze,  the  ships  were  run  into  he 
detachod  p,ecos  and  floes  of  ice,  through  which  they 
were  heaved  with  hawsers  ;  but,  the  obstacles  becoming 
always  more  insuperable,  they  were  at  length  completely 
be«et  and  a  heavy  fog  coming  on,  made  t1,em  Zo^ll 
to  take  advantage  of  any  favorable  change.  Yet  in  the 
course  of  a  week,  though  repeatedly  ^and  sometime 
dangerously  surrounded   they  warped  their  way  f^om 

separated  them  from  an  open  sea.     By  laboriously  saw- 
ing through  this  obstruction,  they  finally  penetrated   he 

ut'z::  ^°'  ''^ ''' ''''-'  ^'-^  ^' '-'  -*-^>-"^ 

The  navigators  now  bore  directly  for  Lancaster  Sound 
and  on  He  30th  July  found  themselves  at  its  cJra„ce' 
They  felt  an  extraordinary  emotion  as  they  recognized 

was  guarded  .ware  that  a  very  short  time  would  decide 
ihe  fate  of  their  grand  undertaking,  tk  ""^^eciae 
]^■,^A   u  1,  unaeriaking.     They  were  tanta- 

Ined.  however,  by  a  fresh  breeze  coming  directly  down 
the  sound,  which  did  not  suffer  them  to  make  more  thin 
a  very  slow  progress.  Still,  there  was  no  appearance 
of  obstruction  either  from  ice  or  land,  and  even'L  heavy 
well  wh,eh  they  had  to  encounter,  driving  the  wate^ 
repeatedly  in  at  the  stern  windows,  was  hailed  T  an 
««Hhcat,on  of  open  sea  to  the  westward 

The  Hecla  left  the  Griper  behind,  but  still  without 
making  any  great  way  herself,  till  the  3d  Au^usr  when 
-  easterly  breeze  sprang  up,  carrying  hoC^^Z 
rapidly  forward.  A  crowd  of  sail  was  set,  and  thlyprl 
^o.ded  triumphantly  in  their  course.  The'  minds  of'^I 
were  filled  with  anxious  hope  and  suspense.  The  mas" 
heads  were  crowded  with  officers  and  men,  and  the  sue 
cssive  reports  brought  down  from  the  highest  pLnlcle 


.■■   4 


102 


PARRY'S   FIRST   VOVAGE. 


w 


called  tlio  crow's  nest,  were  eagerly  listened  to  on 
dock,  Their  path  was  still  unobstructed.  Thoy  passed 
various  headlands,  with  several  wide  openings  towards 
the  north  and  south,  to  which  they  hastily  gave  the 
names  of  Croker  Bay,  Navy  Board  Inlet,  and  similar 
designations  ;  but  these  it  was  not  their  present  object 
to  explore.  Tlie  wind,  freshening  more  and  more,  car- 
ried them  happily  forward,  till  at  niidniglit  they  found 
themselves  in  longitude  83°  12',  nearly  a  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  sound,  which  still 
retained  a  breadth  of  fifty  miles.  The  success  of  the 
expedition,  thej'  fondly  hoped,  was  now,  to  a  great 
extent,  decided. 

The  Ilecla  at  this  time  slackened  her  course,  to  allow 
her  companion  to  come  up,  which  she  did  in  longitude 
85°.  Thoy  proceeded  together  to  longitude  86°  30',  and 
found  two  other  inlets,  which  thoy  named  Burnet  and 
Stratton  ;  then  a  bold  cape,  named  Fellfoot,  forming 
apparently,  the  termination  of  this  long  line  of  coast 
The  lengthened  swell,  which  still  rolled  in  from  the 
north  and  west,  with  the  oceanic  color  of  the  waters, 
inspired  the  flattering  persuasion  that  they  had  already 
passed  the  region  of  straits  and  inlets,  and  were  now 
wafted  along  the  wide  expanse  of  the  polar  basin 
Nothing,  in  short,  it  was  hoped,  would  henceforth 
obstruct  their  progress  to  Icy  Cape,  the  western  bound- 
ary of  America.  An  alarm  of  land  was  given,  but  it 
proved  to  arise  only  from  an  island  of  no  great  extent. 
However,  more  land  was  soon  discovered,  beyond  Cape 
Fellfoot,  which  was  ascertained  to  be  the  entrance  to  a 
noble  recess,  extending  on  their  right,  which  thoy 
named  Maxwell  Bay.  An  uninterrupted  range  of  sea 
still  stretched  out  before  them,  though  they  were  sorae- 
wrhat   discomposed  by  seeing,  on  the  south,  a  line  of 


PARRY'S   FIRST  VOVAOE.  JQ^ 

continuous  ice  ,  but  it  left  an  open  passage,  and  they 
'•oped  to  find  ,t  merely  a  detached  stream  ^ 

A  httle  space  onwards,  however,  they  discovered 
w.  h  deep  d,smay,  that  this  ice  was  joined  to  a  com- 
c o„sed  the  channel,  and  joined  the  western  point  of 
Maxwell   Bay       It   behoved   them,  therefore,  immedt 
ately  to  draw  back,  to  avoid   being  en.bayJd   in  the 

Teat- :'t  :  Tr  i "''""  ^  ^'^-^  -^  -^  *•- 

bea  ng.  Tf.e  oflicers  began  to  an.use  themselves  with 
^u  tless  attempts  to  catch  white  whales,  when  the 
weather  clea,-ed,  and  they  saw,  to  the  south,  an  open 

mght  lead  to  an  unencumbered  passage  in  a  lower 
ftude   steered  in  this  direction,  and  fo^und  himsel    a 

visible  termmafon  ;  and  to  the  two  capes  at  its  en- 
trance he  gave  the  names  of  Clarence  and  Seppings 

The  manners,  finding  the  western  shore  of  this  inlet 
g.-eatly  obstructed  with  ice,  moved  across  to  the        f 
e  n,   where   they   entered    a  broad  and  open   channel 
The  coast  was  the  most  dreary  and  desolate  t    y  had 
ever  beheld,  even  in  the  Arctic  world,  presenting  jJZ 
a  semblance  either  of  animal  or  vegetable  life.     Vnvi^ 
^on  was  rendered  more  arduous,  from  the  entire^rregu- 
larity  of  the  compass,  now  evidently  approaching  to  the 
magnetic   pole,    and   showing  an   excess   of  variation 
which  they  vainly  attempted  to  measure,  so  thatihe 
oi.inacles  were  laid  aside  as  useless  lumber 

They  sailed  a  hundred  and  twenty  miles  up  this  inlet 
and  Its  augmenting  width  inspired  them  with  correspond^ 
H.ff  hopes;  when,  with  extreme  consternation,  they 
suddenly  perceived  the  ice  to  diverge  from  its  parallel 
course,  running  close  in  with  a  point  of  land  which 
appeared  to  form  the  southern  extremity  of  the  eastern 


4     fm 

r 

i 

1 

!■;  -r 


104 


PARRY'S  FIBfll  VOYAGE. 


ahore.  To  this  foreland  they  gave  the  name  of  o'ap» 
Kater.  The  wcBtcrn  horizon  also  appeared  covered 
with  heavy  and  extensive  floes,  a  bright  and  dazzling 
ice-blink  extending  from  riglit  to  left.  The  name  of  the 
Prince  Regent  was  given  to  this  spacious  inlet,  which 
Parry  strongly  suspected  must  have  a  communication 
with  Hudson's  Bay.  He  now  determined  to  return  to 
the  old  station,  and  watch  the  opportunity  when  the 
relenting  ice  would  allow  the  ships  to  proceed  west- 
ward. That  point  was  reached,  not  without  some  diffl* 
culty,  amid  ice  and  fog. 

At  Prince  Leopold's  Islands,  on  the  15th,  the  barrier 
was  as  impenetrable  as  ever,  with  a  bright  blink ;  and 
from  the  top  of  a  high  hill  there  was  no  water  to  be 
seen  ;  luckily,  also,  there  was  no  land.  On  the  18th, 
on  getting  once  more  close  to  the  northern  shore,  the 
navigators  began  to  make  a  little  way,  and  some  showers 
of  rain  and  snow,  accompanied  with  heavy  wind,  pro- 
duced such  an  effect,  that  on  the  2l8t  the  whole  ice  had 
disappeared,  and  they  could  scarcely  believe  it  to  be 
the  same  sea  which  had  just  before  been  covered  with 
floes  upon  floes,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 

Parry  now  crowded  all  sail  to  the  westward,  and, 
though  detained  by  want  of  wind,  he  passed  Radstock 
Bay,  Capes  Ilurd  and  Hotham,  and  Beechey  Island  ; 
after  which  ho  discovered  a  fine  and  broad  inlet  leading 
to  the  north,  which  he  called  Wellington.  The  sea  at 
the  mouth  being  perfectly  open,  he  would  not  have 
hesitated  to  ascend  it,  had  there  not  been  before  him, 
along  the  southern  side  of  an  island  named  Cornwallis, 
an  open  channel  leading  due  west.  Wellington  Inlet 
was  now  considered  by  the  officers,  so  high  were  their 
hopes,  as  forming  the  western  boundary  of  the  land 
stretching  from  Baffin's  Bay  to  the  Polar  Sea,  into 
which  they  had  little  doubt  they  were  entering.     For 


PARRY'S  FIRST  VOYAGE. 


108 


this  reason,  Lieutenant  Parry  did  not  hesitate  to  give  to 
tho  great  clianiiol,  which  was  understood  to  effect  bo 
desirable  a  junction,  the  merited  appellation  of  Barrow's 
Strait,  after  tiie  much-esteemed  promoter  of  the  expedi- 
tion.   A  favorable  breeze  now  sprang  up,  and  the  adven- 
turors  paKHcd  gayly  and  triumphantly  along  the  exten- 
eive  shore  of  Cornwallis  Island,  then  coasted  a  larger 
island,  named  Bathurst,  and  next  a  smaller  one,  called 
Byam  Martin.     At  this  last  place  they  judged,  by  some 
experiments,  that  thoy  had  passed  the  magnetic  merid- 
ian, situated,  probably,  in  about  100»  west  longitude, 
and  where  the  compass  would  have  pointed  due  south 
instead  of  due  north. 

The  navigation  now  became  extremely  difficult,  in 
consequence  of  thick  fogs,  which  not  only  froze  on  the 
shrouds,  but,  as  the  compass  was  also  useless,  took 
away  all  means  of  knowing  the  direction  in  which  they 
sailed.  They  were  obliged  to  trust  thut  the  land  and 
ice  would  preserve  the  same  line,  and  sometimes  em- 
ployed the  oddest  expedients  for  ascertaining  the  pre- 
cise  point.  They  encountered,  also,  a  compact  floe, 
through  which  they  were  obliged  to  bore  their  way  by 
main  force. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  obstacles,  they  reached  the 
coast  of  an  island  larger  than  any  before  discovered, 
to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Melville.  The  wind 
now  failed,  and  they  moved  slowly  forward  by  towing 
and  warping,  till,  on  the  4th  September,  the  lieutenant 
could  announce  to  his  joyful  crew  that,  having  reached 
the  longitude  of  110»  west,  they  were  become  entitled  to 
the  reward  of  five  thousand  pounds  promised  by  Parlia- 
ment to  the  first  ship's  company  who  should  attain  that 
meridiaa.  They  still  pushed  forward  with  redoubled 
ardor,  but  soon  found  their  course  arrested  by  an 
impenetrable  barrier  of  ice.     They  waited  nearly  a  fortr 


I    ■^*'   i 


lOfl 


PARRY'S   FIRST  VOYAGE. 


night,  In  hopes  of  overcoming  it,  till,  about  tlio  20th, 
th(!ir  Hltuatioii  l)ocivino  alarming.  The  youiijy  i(;»'  lj««gan 
riipiilly  to  form  on  tlio  smraco  of  the  watcMri,  retarded 
"Illy  l>y  vviiidH  and  hwoIIh,  mo  tliat  the  comniaiiilinf,^  ofli- 
rer  was  convineed  that,  in  the  event  of  a  wingh'  lioiir's 
cahn,  lie  would  be  frozen  up  in  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

No  option  was  therefore  left  but  to  retin-n,  and  to 
choose  between  two  apparently  good  liarborH,  which 
had  been  recently  passed  on  Melville  Island.  Not 
without  didiculty  he  reached  tluH  place  on  the  2tth,  and 
decided  in  favor  of  the  more  wcKtern  haven,  an  afl'ording 
the  fullest  security  ;  but  it  was  necessary  to  cut  his 
way  two  miles  through  a  hirgo  tloe  with  which  it  was 
encumbered.  To  eflect  this  arduous  operation,  the  sea- 
men marked  with  bourding-pikes  two  puralli'I  lines,  at 
the  (listani-e  of  somewhat  more  than  the  breadth  of  the 
larger  shij).  They  sawed,  in  the  first  place,  along  the 
path  tracked  out,  and  then,  by  cross-sawings,  detached 
large  pieces,  which  were  separated  diagonally,  in  ordei 
to  be  floated  out;  and  sometimes  boat-sails  were  fas 
tencd  to  them,  to  take  the  advantage  of  a  favorable 
breeze.  On  the  2Gth  the  ships  were  established  in  five 
fiithoms  water,  at  about  a  cable's  length  from  the 
beach.  For  some  time  the  ice  was  daily  cleared  round 
them  ;  but  this  was  soon  found  an  endless  and  useless 
labor,  and  they  were  allowed  to  be  regularly  frozen  in 
for  tlie  winter. 

Parry  then  applied  himself  to  name  the  varied  group 
of  islands  along  which  he  had  passed.  He  called  them, 
at  first.  New  Georgia ;  but,  recollecting  that  this  appel- 
lation was  preoccupied  by  one  in  tiie  Pacific,  he  gave 
the  title  of  the  "  North  Georgian  Islands,"  in  honor  of 
his  majesty  George  III.,  whoso  reign  had  been  bo  emi- 
nently distinguished  by  the  extension  of  nautical  ant' 
geographical  kiiov/ledge. 


n  '  .'!■  'i- 


PARRY'S  FIRST  VOYAGE 


109 


Hunting  parties  occasionally  went  out  and  procured 
a  lew  reindeer;  but  a  migration  of  these  animals  tx-k 
place  before  the  close  of  October,  leaving  behind  them 
only  wolves  and  foxes  to  keep  the  party  company  dur- 
ing the  long  winter  months.     Even  the  polar  hare  so 
common  in  the  Arctic  regions,  never  once  showed  itself 
en  Melville  Island  in  the  course  of  the  winter      The 
musk-ox,  also  very  common  during  its  proper  season, 
arrived  on  Melville  Island  in  the  middle  of  May    by 
crossing  the  ice  from  the  southward,  and  quitted  ii  by 
the  same  way  on  its  return  towards  the  end  of  Septem- 
ber      On  the  15th  the  last  covey  of  ptarmigan  was  met 
with  ;  and  on  the  same  day  were  seen  fifteen  deer  all 
ying  down,  except  one  large  one,  probably  a  stU : 
this,  after  the  rising  of  the  rest,  seemed  to  guard  the 
animals    in   their  flight,   frequently  going  round    the 
herd,  sometimes  striking  them  with  his  horns  to  make 
them  go  on,  which  they  appeared  not  much  inclined  to 
do      Even  seals  were  not  found  in  this  neighborhood; 
but  whales  of  d.fleront  kinds  were  commonly  met  with  • 
gulls  and  ducks,  however,  so  numerous  in  Davis's  Strait 
and  the  Georgian  Isla..ds,  condescculed  not  to  visit 
Melville  Island,  but  "  two  or  three  specimens  of  a  cat- 
erpilar  were  obtained,  one  of  which  was  brought  to 
Eng.and;'_of  course   as   an   Arctic   curiosity.      One 
large  white  bear,  having  pursued  Captain  Sabine's  ser- 
vant  to  the  slup,  was  shot  at  and  wounded,  but  made 
his  escape;  it  was  the  only  one  met  with  during  the 
Btayo    the  party,  but  described  as  being  more  purely 
white  than  any  tl.ey  .ad  before  seen.     A  Lble  willow 
a  saxifrage    lichens,  and   stunted   grasses,  constitute 
pretty  nearly  the/ora  of  Melville  Island 

The  total  privation  of  game  of  any  kind  now  afforded 

ew  excursions  for  the  exercise  and  amusement  of  hun' 

.ng.     Parties,  however,  had  occasionally  been  sent  out 


110 


PARRY'S  FIRST   VOYAGE. 


shortly  after  tbo  taking  up  of  their  winter  quarters 
One  of  these  did  not  return  on  board  before  sunset,  as 
strictly  ordered,  and  the  cousequeucc  is  stated  to  have 
been  as  follows : 

"John  Pearson,  a  marine  belonging  to  the  Griper, 
who  was  the  last  that  returned  on  board,  had  his  hands 
severely  frost-bitten,  having  imprudently  gone  away 
without  mittens,  and  with  a  musket  in  his  hand.  A 
party  of  our  people  most  providentially  found  liim, 
althoiigi!  tlic  night  was  very  dark,  just  as  he  iiad  fallen 
down  a  bank  of  snow,  and  was  beginning  to  fuel  that 
degree  of  torpor  and  drowsiness  which,  if  indulged, 
inevitably  proves  fatal.  When  he  was  brought  on 
board,  his  fingers  were  quite  stiff,  and  bent  into  the 
shape  of  that  part  of  the  musket  wiiich  he  liad  been 
carrying  ;  and  the  frost  had  so  far  destroyed  the  anima- 
tion in  his  fingers  on  one  hand  that  it  was  necessary  to 
amputate  three  of  them  a  short  time  after,  notwith- 
standing all  the  care  and  attention  paid  to  him  by  the 
medical  gentlemen.  The  effect  which  exposure  to  se- 
vere frost  has  in  benumbing  the  mental  as  well  as  the 
corporeal  faculties  was  very  striking  in  this  man,  as 
well  as  in  two  of  the  young  gentlemen,  who  returned 
after  dark,  and  of  whom  we  were  anxious  to  make 
inquiries  respecting  Pearson.  When  I  sent  for  them 
into  my  cabin  they  looked  wild,  spoke  thick  and  indis- 
tinctly, and  it  was  impossible  to  draw  from  tliom  a 
rational  answer  to  any  of  our  questions.  After  being 
on  board  for  a  short  time  the  mental  faculties  appeared 
'gradually  to  return  with  the  returning  circulation  ;  and 
it  was  not  till  tlien  that  a  looker-on  could  easily  per- 
suade himself  that  they  had  not  been  drinking  too 
freely." 

So  early  as  the  29th  of  October  the  theimometcr  waa 
down  to  twenty-four  degrees  below  zero.     It  was  uoi? 


PARRY'S  FIBST  VOYAGE.  jj  | 

aistressing  to  touch  any  metallic  substance  with  the 
naked  hand  ,n  the  open  air;  it  produced  a  feeli"^  of 
.n  onse  heat,  and  took  off  the  skin.     If  the  oye-piecf  o 
a  telescope  touched  the  face,  it  occasioned  an  intense 
bunung  pan. ;  the  remedy  was  to  cover  them  and  o  h  r 
instruments  wuh  soft   leather.     The  uiScers,  notwith 
standn.g  indulged  themselves  in  walking  for  ;n  hou    or 
two  H.  the  middle  of  the  day,  in  the  depth  of  win  er 
even  when  the  thermometer  was  down  to  forty  degrees 
or  even  hfty  degrees  below  ^ero,  without  exp^eriencL 
much  mconvemence  from  this  intense  degree  of  cold 
provided  always  that  there  was  no  wind  ;  but  the    east 
breeze  inade  the  exposure  to  it  intolerable 

The  commander,  finding  himself  and  his  ships  shut  in 
for  a  long  and  dreary  winter,  devoted  his  !tten  iln 
w>th  a  mixture  of  firmness  and  kindness,  to  miti^at^ 
those  evds  which,  even  in  lower  '.titude  ,  had  often 
rendered  an  abode  in  the  Arctic  regions  so  f^tal  and  to 
economize  both  the  fresh  provisions  and  fuel 

From  the  first.  Parry  was  aware  that  nothing  acted 
more  strongly  as  an  antiscorbutic  than  to  keep  the 
men  s  m.nds  in  a  lively  and  cheerful  state.  Armnl! 
ments  were  accordingly  made  for  the  occasional  per- 
formance of  a  play,  in  circumstances  certainly  very 
remote  from  any  to  which  the  drama  appeared  congi 
^nal.      Lieutenant  Beochoy  was  nominated  stage-mL 

peiformeis.     Ihe  very  expectation  thus  raised  amon^ 

ihe  sadors,  and  the  bustle  of  preparing  a  room  for  the 
purpose    were    extremely   beneficial  ;    and   when    the 

Norti,   Georgian    Theatre   opened   with    "Miss  in  li  r 
TonH,"  these  hardy  tars  were  convulsed  with  laughter 
The  A  rcfc  management  was  extremely  popular.     The] 

.fficers  had  another  source  of  amusement  in  the  North 
(.eorgian   Gazette,  of  which   Captain   Sabine  beca.«e 


I 


112 


PARRY'S  FIRST  VOYAQR 


editor,  and  all  were  invited  to  contribute  to  this  chroi-i 
cle  of  the  frozen  regions. 

On  the  1st  and  2d  of  February  the  sun  was  looked 
for,  but  the  sky  was  wrapped  in  mist ;  however,  on  the 
3d  he  was  perceived  from  the  maintop  of  the  Ilecla. 

Health  was  maintained  on  board  the  ships,  by  enforced 
exorcise  and  other  means,  to  a  surprising  degree.  Early 
in  January,  iiowever,  Mr.  Scallon,  the  gunner,  felt  symp- 
toms, first  in  tlie  legs,  and  then  in  the  gums,  tiiat  de 
cidedly  indicated  the  presence  of  scurvy,  of  which  the 
immediate  cause  appeared  to  bo  the  great  collection  of 
damp  that  had  formed  around  his  bed-place.  At  this 
alarm,  all  the  antiscorbutics  on  board  —  lemon-juice, 
pickles,  and  spruce-beer  —  were  put  into  requisition  ;  a 
small  quantity  of  mustard  and  cress  was  also  raised 
from  mould  placed  over  the  stove-pipe  ;  and  such  was 
the  success  of  these  remedies,  tiiat  in  nine  days  the 
patient  could  walk  without  pain. 

"Some  of  our  men,"  says  Parry,  "having,  in  the 
course  of  their  shooting  excursions,  been  exposed  for 
several  hours  to  the  glare  of  the  sun  and  snow,  returned 
at  night  much  aflected  with  that  painful  inflammation 
in  the  eyes  occasioned  by  the  reflection  of  intense  light 
from  the  snow,  aided  by  the  warmth  of  the  sun,  and 
called  in  America  '  snow  blindness.'  This  complaint, 
of  which  the  sensation  exactly  resembles  that  produced 
by  large  particles  of  sand  or  dust  in  the  eyes,  is  cured 
by  some  tribes  of  American  Indians  by  holding  them 
over  the  steam  of  warm  water ;  but  we  found  a  cooling 
wash,  made  by  a  small  quantity  of  acetate  of  lead  mixed 
with  cold  water,  more  efficacious  in  relieving  tlie  irrita- 
tion, which  was  always  done  in  three  or  four  days, 
even  in  the  most  severe  cases,  provided  the  eyes  were 
carefully  guarded  from  the  light.  As  a  preventive  of 
this  complaint,  a  piece  of  black  crape  was  given  to  tach 


jrlit 


Oi 


PARRY'S  FIBST  VOYAGE.  jjg 

man.  to  be  worn  as  a  kind  of  short  veil  attached  to  tl  e 
hut  wh.ch  we  found  to  be  ve:,^  serviceable      is  m 
more  convenient  mode,  adopted  by  some  of  the  office  s 
wa.   ou„d  equally  efficacious  ;  this  consisted    nt.!; 

i^e.t..4esand-!::;:s:t:n.S;f,^-^-'^- 

attention  was  now  turned  to  flm  n,<.  ^        fot^nerai 

from  the  ice      Bv  the  T^f)  \  Ir       T^  °^  extrication 
far  cut  it  fmm  ^         ^^  ^^^y  *'"'  ««^'»«»  had  so 

float    bi  ^  tl"'".'  ''''  ^'^P^  '^^  *«  ^"-  them  to 
noat ,  but  m  the  sea  ,t  was  still  immovable 

PaJ^v'in'ln"''  "'  ?""'■"'  "^^*^«"  "^'  ^-P'oyod  by 

::^^:rs«n^yr::ef:s^^^^^^^ 

and  that  the  moss  was  very  lux^Lt  "o',  ^  ZTd 
day  they  saw  a  pair  of  ducks,  and  killed  seven  ptar" 
gan;  sorrel  and  saxifrage  wore  abundant      The  paZ' 

very  extensive,  dreary,  and  uninterestinff  level  nlain 

r;  awl  r»:a  vr"  ""^  *i"^  °^«-n^.  wj;,.  t: 

ui  ravines  and  foggy  weather,  continued  for  fl.rno 

Amvcd  at  Bushman's  Cove,  in  Liddoii',  P„lf        .1 
wostor,.  «Mo  of  MelvlUc  Maid,  .t  p    ^fc"!"'::  I 
"f  tto^plea«a„.es.  .„d  most  habilabjo  spot.  w.  L^ 


114 


PARRY'S   FIRST  VOYAGE. 


Bocn  id  the  Arctic  regions,  the  vegetation  being  mor«» 
abundant  and  forward  than  in  any  other  place,  and  the 
situation  Hholtored  and  liivoiabh;  lor  ganio."  Tiiey 
found  here  a  good  deal  of  inoHs,  grass,  dwarf  willow, 
and  saxifrage,  and  Captain  Sabine  met  witii  a  ranunculus 
in  full  flower.  TIiub  we  see  that  even  in  this,  the  inoHt 
desolate  region  of  the  earth,  the  superiority  of  the 
western  coast  predotiiinates.  The  hunters  saw  and 
fired  at  a  musk-ox,  but  did  not  kill  him  ;  they  saw  also 
several  golden  plovers.  On  the  IfHh  of  June  they 
reached  the  ships,  and  were  complimented  by  their  ship- 
mates on  their  good  looks,  and  as  appearing  in  more 
robust  health  than  when  they  departed. 

"Having  observed,"  says  Tarry,  "that  the  .sorrel 
was  now  so  far  advaneinl  in  foliage  as  to  be  easily 
gathered  in  sufficient  quantity  for  eating,  1  gave  orders 
that  two  afternoons  in  each  week  sliotild  be  occupied 
by  all  hands  in  collecting  the  leaves  of  this  plant :  each 
man  being  recpiired  to  liring  in,  for  the  present,  one 
ounce,  to  be  served  in  lic-i  of  lemon-juice,  pickles,  and 
dried  herbs,  which  had  been  hitherto  issued.  The 
growth  of  the  sorrel  was  from  this  time  so  quick,  and 
the  quantity  of  it  so  great  on  every  part  of  the  ground 
about  the  harbor,  that  we  shortly  after  sent  the  men  out 
every  afternoon  for  an  hour  or  two  ;  in  which  time, 
besides  the  advantage  of  a  healthy  walk,  they  could, 
witlu)ut  difiiculty,  pick  nearly  a  pound  each  of  this  valu- 
able antiscorbutic,  of  which  they  were  all  extremely  fond. 
"  Ky  the  L'Otli  of  June,  the  land  in  the  immediate 
ueigliborhood  ef  the  ships,  and  especially  in  low  and 
Bheltored  situations,  was  much  covered  with  the  hand- 
some purple  flower  of  the  xaxifraga  oppuxilifulia,  which 
was  at  this  time  in  great  perfection,  and  gave  something 
like  cheerfulness  and  animation  to  a  scene  hitherto 
indeacribably  dreary  in  its  appearance. 


PARRY'S  FIRST  VOYAQE.  Hfi 

"ThoBud(lonno.8  with  which  the  changes  take  pluc. 
.  un„g  the  short  «ea«on  which  may  be  culfod  sununor  „ 
this  chmato,  must  appear  very  striking  when  it  ia  r«. 
mon.l>ered  that,  for  a  part  of  the  Grst  week      J,.     ;: 
were   under  the   necessity  of  thawing  artificiallytlo 
nowwh.ch  we  made  use  of  for  water  during  the  ea  1. 
pait  of  our  journey  to  the  northward  ;  that,  during  the 
«ccond  week,  the  ground  was  in  most  part;  so  w  tand 
swan.py  that  we  could  with  difficulty  travel  ;  and  that 
Imd  we  not  returned  before  the  end  of  the  t  ,ird  week 
we  should  probably  have  been  prevented  doing  so  for 
Borno  tune,  by  the  impossibility  of  crossing  the  IZnll 
w.thout  great  danger  of  being  carried  away  by   I'tor 
.•ents,-an  acculent  that  happened  to  our  hunthfg  purtVes 
on  one  or  two  occasions  i„  endeavoring  to  return  w, 
their  game  to  the  ships."  ' 

the  wIVh""',  "' ''"'"'  ''''''  "''^^  everywhere  formed ; 
he  water  lowed  m  streams,  ar.d  even  in  torrents,  which 
r  ndercd  hunting  and  travelling  unsafe.     Ther     were 
also  channels  i„  which  boats  could  pass  ;  yet  IroZh 
out    us  month  and  the  following,  th'e  gre^t'co've;     1^ 
.^m  the. ..undn.g  sea  remained  entire,  and  kep/'tho 
On  the  2d  of  August,  however,  the  whole  mass   by 
broke  up,  and  floated  out,  and  the  explorers  had  now 

Un  the  15th  they  were  enabled  to  make  a  certain 
advance  after  which  the  frozen  surface  of  the  ocean 
assumed  a  more  compact  and  impenetrable  asZtZn 

:l"o7   itfT^'T^^f^^-'^-     '^'-  officerTrsce 
Bomc  of  the  lofty  heights  which    bordered  the  coast- 


116 


PARRV'S   FIRST  VOYAGE. 


Dundas,  and  in  the  distance  a  bold  coast,  which  they 
named  Banks's  Lund.  As  even  a  brisk  gale  i'roni  the 
east  did  not  produce  the  slightest  niovcnioiit  on  the 
glassy  face  of  the  deep,  they  were  led  to  believe  that 
on  the  other  side  there  must  be  a  largo  body  of  land,  by 
which  it  was  held  iu  a  fixed  state.  On  considering  all 
circumstances,  there  appeared  no  alternative  but  to 
make  their  way  homeward  while  yet  the  season  per- 
mitted. Some  additional  observations  were  made,  as 
they  returned,  on  the  two  coasts  extending  along  Bar- 
row's Strait. 

Parry's  arrival  in  Britain  was  hailed  with  the  wannest 
exultation.  To  have  sailed  upwards  of  thirty  degrees 
of  longitude  beyond  the  point  reached  by  any  former 
navigator ;  to  have  discovered  bo  many  new  lands, 
islands,  aud  bays  ;  to  have  established  the  much-con- 
tested existence  of  a  Polar  Sea  north  of  America  ;  finally, 
after  a  v/intcring  of  eleven  months,  to  have  brought  back 
his  crew  in  a  sound  and  vigorous  state,  were  enough  tf- 
raise  his  name  above  that  of  any  other  Arctic  voyager. 


J     • ; 


BSQUIM,\rX    SNOW-IItlT. 


CHAPTER    V. 

FRANKLIN'S     FIRST    I.AND    KXPKDITION.  -  INCIDKIfTH         l..^„.. 

SKVKK.TY      OP      TUB      WKATII.t»     ""'  ^^"'"''"''T*- "  "ACK'S    JOURUKV.- 

FACTORY.  "•■■-••.jr.       AHRIYAL      AT      TOBK 

Ix  September  of  the  same  year  that  Parry  sailed,  an 
overland  expedition  started  from  York  Factory,  Ilud- 
«on  H  Bay,  under  charge  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  accompa- 
n.ed  by  Dr.  (now  Sir  John)  Richardson,  two  midshipmen. 
-Messrs  Back  and  Hood, -and  Uepburn,  a  seaman, 
with  the  object  of  exploring  the  north  coast  of  America 
to  Its  eastern  extremity  from  the  mouth  of  the  Copoer- 
mine.  There  was  a  chan.e  tnat  Parry  might  make' for 
he  coast  ,n  h.s  ships  ;  and,  if  so,  the  two  parties  would 
have  cooperated  with  mutual  advantage. 

On  the   1 9th  of  January,  1820,  Fr°anklin  set  out  in 
company  with  Mr.  Back,  and  a  seaman  named  Hepburn 
with  provisions  for  fifteen  days  stowed  in  two  sledges' 
on  then-  journey  to  Fort  Chipewyan.     Dr.  Richardson.' 
M.    Hood,  and  Mr.  Connolly,  accompanied  them  a  shorj 
distance.     After  touching  at  different  posts  of  the  com- 
pany, they  reached  their  destination  safely  on  the  26th 
0   March,  after  a  winter's  journey  of  eight  hundred  and 
fifty-seven  miles.     The  greatest  difficulty  experienced 
t  y  the  travellers  was  the  labor  of  walking  in  snow- 
Bhocs,  a  weight  of  between  two  and  three  pounds  being 
constantly  attached  to  galled  feet  and  swelled  ankles 
Of  th«  Btate  of  the  temperature  during  this  journev 


118 


FKANKMN'S   FIU8T   LAND   EXPEDITION. 


there  is  no  record,  for  a  renson  expliiined  hy  Friuikliu, 
who  pays  ihut  "this  evening  (IHth  of  Jannury)  we 
found  the  mercury  of  our  thermometer  had  sunk  into 
the  bulb,  nnd  wiim  frozen." 

( )n  tlie  ir)th  of  April  the  first  sljower  of  rain  fell ;  and 
on  the  17tli  the  thermometer  nwe  to  77°  in  the  simde. 
The  return  of  the  swans,  ('ccse,  and  ducks,  now  >,'ave 
certain  indieations  if  »Dring.  Tiio  warm  weather,  l)y 
the  sudden  melting  of  ♦,' e  -mow  and  ice,  deluged  the 
face  of  the  country.  Mr.  t  '  u!  says;  "The  noise  madf 
by  the  frogs  which  this  ii  ii.idatiou  produced  is  almost 
incredible.  There  is  strong  reason  to  believe  that  they 
outlive  tJie  .severity  of  winter.  They  have  often  been 
found  frozen,  and  revived  by  warmth  ;  nor  is  it  possible 
that  the  multitude  which  inces.-'antly  tilled  our  ears  with 
their  disconiant  notes  could  ha  i  been  matured  in  two 
or  three  days." 

Captain  Franklin  also  notices  the  resuscitation  of 
fishes  after  being  frozen :  "  It  may  be  worthy  of  notice 
here,  that  the  fish  froze  as  they  were  taken  out  of  the 
nets,  and  in  a  short  time  became  a  solid  mass  of  ice, 
and  by  a  blow  or  two  of  the  hatchet  were  easily  split 
open,  when  the  intestines  might  be  removed  in  one 
lump.  If,  in  this  completely  frozen  state,  they  were 
thawed  before  the  fire,  they  recovered  their  animation. 
This  was  particularly  the  case  with  the  carj) ;  and  we 
had  occasion  to  observe  it  repeatedly,  as  Dr.  Richardson 
occupied  himself  in  examining  the  structure  of  the  dif- 
ferent species  of  fish,  and  was  always,  in  the  winter, 
under  the  necessity  of  thawing  them  before  he  could  cut 
them.  We  have  seen  a  carp  recover  so  far  as  to  leap 
about  with  much  vigor  after  it  had  been  frozen  for 
thirty-six  hours."  It  may  be  stated  that  the  same  efli'ct 
U  produced  on  the  insect  tribe. 

Franklin  and  his  party,  increased  by  the  addition  cf 


FRANKLIN'S  FIE8T  LAND  EXPEDITION.  121 

Sixteen  Canadian  voyageurs,  interpreters,  &c.,  left  Fort 
Cl..pewyan  .n  July.  1820,  for  Tort  Ente;pris  ,  on  Wb 
or  Lake  more  than  five  hundred  miles  dLant.     Here 
af  or  wallung  eighty  miles  to  get  a  look  at  the  Coppe"' 
n.  ne,  they  wintered,  while  Mr.  (now  Sir  George)  Back 
returned   on   foot  tn   TT'nrf   n\  •  v^cui^e;  x>acK 

transit  nf!l  •     ?  .  <^'»Pe^vyan,  to  expedite  the 

transit  oi  stores  required  fnr  fhi^  n^^.*  > 

At  thp  «n^  ffl  ^"^'^.^'^  *"«  next  year's  operatbns. 
A  the  end  of  five  months  he  rejoined  his  companions 
after  a  journey  which  put  his  powers  of  endurance  to  a 
severe  test.  cuuuiauce  lo  a 

Some  interesting  instances  of  Indian   generosity  are 

tney,     but  you  are  not.'" 
Back,  in  this  dreadful  journey,  was  not  only  exposed 

the  danger  of  perishing  in  some  of  the  lakes  which  they 
had  to  cross  on   cot.     On  a  narrow  branch  of  the  S  a!^ 

"'J'lry  or  another  occasion  the  ice  bent  so  that  it 
required  the  utmost  speed  to  avoid  falling  th  olh 
wli.ro  It  gave  way.  as  it  seems  to  have  done  at  vefy 
Htep  he  took.  In  short,  it  was  little  less  than  nZZ 
Jous  consKlenng  the  season  and  the  severity  of  the 
wniter,  that  he  over  returned  safe;  which,  howevcM-  h. 
had  the  good  fortune  to  do  on  the  17tl.  of  March,  w'hcn 
ho  arrived  at  Fort  Enterprise,  whore,  ho  says,  '.I  had 

L'  r"r"''"1''"°^  my  friends  all  ia  good  health 
after  a  .  absence  of  nearly  five  months,  during  which 
•me  I  had  travelled  eleven   hundred  and  four  i^iles  o 
snowshoos,  and  had  no  other  covering,  at  night,  in  the 


122 


FRANKLIN'S  FIRST  LAND  EXPEDITION. 


woods,  than  a  blanket  and  deor-skiu,  with  the  thermom- 
eter frequently  at — iO",  and  once  at  — 57",  and  some- 
times passing  two  or  three  days  without  tasling  food." 

Franklin  gives  the  following  statomont  in  regard  to 
the  severity  of  the  weather  in  Deoenibor:  "The  weathe 
duiing  this  month  was  the  coldest  we  oxperieni^(!d  dur- 
ing our  residence  in  America.  The  thermuinet>.r  sank 
on  one  occasion  to  51"  below  zero,  and  never  rosa 
beyond  6"  above  it ;  the  mean  for  the  month  was 
— 29°-'?.  Di/iing  these  intense  colds,  however,  the 
atmosphere  was  generally  calm,  and  the  wond-cutters 
and  others  went  about  iheir  ordinary  occupations  with- 
out using  any  extraordinary  precautions,  yet  without 
feeling  any  bad  eflccts.  The  heat  is  abstracted  most 
rapidly  from  the  body  during  strong  breezes  ;  and  most 
of  those  who  have  perished  from  cold  in  this  country 
have  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  their  being  overtakmi  on  a 
lake,  or  other  unsheltered  place,  by  a  storm  of  wind. 
The  intense  colds  were,  however,  detrimental  to  us  in 
another  way.  The  trees  froze  to  their  very  centres,  and 
became  as  hard  as  stones,  and  more  difficult  to  cut. 
Some  of  the  axes  were  broken  daily,  and  by  the  end  of 
the  month  we  had  only  one  left  that  was  fit  for  felling 
trees." 

The  aurora  borcalis  made  its  appearance  frequently, 
with  more  or  less  brilliancy,  but  was  not  particularly 
remarkable  ;  in  the  month  of  December  it  was  visible 
twenty-eight  of  the  long  nights. 

The  Indians,  it  appears,  have  nearly  destroyed  the 
fur-bearing  animals  ;  and  so  scarce  is  the  beaver  become, 
that  in  the  whole  journey  to  the  shores  of  the  Polar  Sea 
and  back,  one  single  habitation,  and  one  dam  only,  of 
that  industrious  and  ingenious  creature,  were  met  with. 
Among  the  many  interesting  anecdotes  that  have  beer* 
told  of  this  aiimal,  Dr.  Richardson  relates  the  following , 


f"RANKL[x\'S  FIRST  LAND   EXPEDITION.  123 

'  One  day  a  gentleman,  long  resident  in  this  coun- 
try, esi)ied  five  young  beavers  sporting  in  the  water 
loapuig  upon  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  pushing  one  another' 
oft,  and  playing  a  thousand  interesting  tricks.  He 
approaciied  softly,  under  cover  of  the  bushes,  and  pre- 
pared  to  fire  on  the  unsuspecting  creatures ;  but  a 
nearer  approach  discovered  to  him  such  a  similitude 
between  their  gestures  and  the  infantile  caresses  of  his 
own  chddren,  that  he  threw  aside  his  gun.  This  "-en- 
tleman's  feelings  are  to  be  envied,  but  few  traders  in 
furs  would  have  acted  so  feelingly." 

On  the  last  day  of  June,  1821,  the  whole  party  having 
dragged  their  canoes  and  baggage  to  the  baidc  of  the 
Coppermine, -a  tedious  and  fotiguing  service,  — em- 
l)arked  on  the  rapid  stream,  and  reached  the  sea  on  the 
18th  July.  The  main  object  of  the  expedition  then 
commenced;  and,  witli  two  birch-bark  canoes,  each 
manned  by  ten  men,  and  fifteen  days'  provision,  Prank- 
lin  paddled  to  the  eastward. 

Proceeding  along  the  coast  on  the  inside  of  a  crowded 
range  of  islands,  they  encamped  on  shore  after  a  run  of 
thirty-seven  miles,  in  which  they  exporienc(-d  little  inter- 
ruption.    The  coast  was  found  of  moderate  height,  easy 
of  access,  and  covered  with  vegetation  ;  but  the  islands 
were  rocky  and  barren,  presenting  high  clifls,  of  a  col- 
nmnar  structure.     In  continuing  their  voyage;,  the  dan- 
gers which  beset  a  navigator  in  tiie.^:e  dreadful  polar 
solitudes  thickened  gloomily  around  them.     The  coast 
became  broken   and   sterile,   and  at  length  rose  into  a 
high  and  rugged  promontory,  against  which  some  large 
masses  of  ice  had  drifted,  threatening  destruction  to 
their  slender  canoes. 

In  attempting  to  round  this  cape  the  wind  rose,  an 
awful  gloom  involved  the  sky,  and  the  tlumder  burst 
over  their  heads,  compelling   them  to  encamp  till   the 


124 


FRANKLIN'S  FIRST  LAND  EXPEDmON. 


Btorm  subsided.  They  then,  at  the  imminent  risk  of 
having  the  cauocB  crushed  by  the  floating  ice,  doubled 
the  dreary  promontory,  which  they  denominated  Oape 
Barrow,  and  entered  Detention  Harbor,  where  they 
landed.  Around  them  the  land  consisted  of  mountains 
of  granite,  rising  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge,  desti- 
tute of  vegetation,  and  attaining  an  elevation  of  four- 
teen or  fifteen  hundred  feet ;  seals  and  small  deer  were 
the  only  animals  seen,  and  the  former  were  so  shy  that 
all  attempts  to  approach  within  shot  were  unsuccessful. 

With  the  deer  the  hunters  were  more  fortunate,  but 
these  were  not  numerous ;  and,  while  the  ice  closed 
gradually  around  them,  and  their  little  stock  of  pro- 
visions every  day  diminished,  it  was  impossible  not  to 
regard  their  situation  with  uneasiness.  Rounding  Cape 
Kater,  they  entered  Arctic  Sound,  and  sent  a  party  to 
explore  a  river  upon  the  banks  of  which  they  expected 
to  find  an  Esquimaux  encampment.  All,  however,  was 
silent,  desolate,  and  deserted ;  oven  those  hardy  na- 
tives, bred  amidst  the  polar  ices,  had  removed  from  so 
barren  a  spot,  and  the  hunters  returned  with  two  small 
deer  and  a  brown  bear,  the  latter  animal  so  lean  and 
sickly-looking  that  the  men  declined  eating  it ;  but  the 
oflScers  boiled  its  paws,  and  found  them  excellent. 

Proceeding  along  the  eastern  shore  of  Arctic  Sound, 
to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Banks's  Peninsula,  the 
expedition  made  its  painful  way  along  a  coast  indented 
by  bays,  and  in  many  places  studded  with  islands,  till, 
on  the  10th  of  August,  they  reached  the  open  sea;  and 
sailing,  as  they  imagined,  between  the  continent  and  a 
large  island,  found,  to  their  deep  disappointment,  that, 
instead  of  an  open  channel,  they  were  in  the  centre  of  o 
vast  bay. 

The  state  of  the  expedition  now  called  for  the  most 
Berious  consideration  upon  the  part  of  their  commander. 


FRANKLIN'S  F[RST  LAND  EXPEDITION,  125 

So  much  time  had  already  been  spent  in  exploring  the 
sounds  and  inlets,  that  all  hope  of  reaching  Repulse  Bay 
was  vain  ;  botii  canoes  had  sustained  material  injury ; 
the  fuel  was  expended  ;  their  provisions  were  sufficient 
only  for  three  days  ;  the  appearances  of  the  setting  in 
of  the  Arctic  winter  were  too  unequivocal  to  be  mistaken  ; 
the  deer,  which  had  hitherto  supplied  them  with  fresh 
meat,  would,  it  was  well  known,  soon  disappear  ;  the 
geese  and  other  aquatic  birds  were  already  seen  winging 
their  way  to  the  southward ;  while  the  men,  who  had 
up  to  this  moment  displayed  the  utmost  courage,  began 
to  look  disheartened,  and  to  entertain  serious  apprehen- 
Bions  for  their  safety.     Under  these  circumstances,  the 
leaders  resolved  to  return.     After  spending  four  days 
in  a  careful  survey  of  the  bay,  they  terminated  their 
exploration  at  a  spot  which,  with  literal   truth,  was 
named    Point    Turnagain,    a    distance,    reckoning  the 
indentations  of  the  shore,  of  five  hundred  and  fiftyfive 
geographical  miles.     To  attempt  to  reach  the  Copper- 
mine  so  late  in  the  season  would  have  been  fatal  to  the 
whole  of  the  party ;  they,  therefore,  made  fur  Hood's 
River,  discovered  by  them  a  few  days  previously,  up 
which  they  had  ascended  to  the  first  rapid  by  the  26tb 
of  August.     Two  small  portable  canoes  were  then  con- 
Btructed  from  the  two  larger  ones,  for  the  purpose  of 
crossing  rivers  on  the  journey  now  before  them ;  and 
on  the  1st  of  September,  they  set  off  on  a  straight  course 
for  Fort  Enterprise,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant 
The  flitigues  and  privations  endured  on  this  route  ar« 
scarcely  to  be  paralleled  ;    short  of  food,  ill  supplied 
with  clothing,  and  exposed  to  the  howling  severity  of 
the  climate,  the  escape  of  any  one  of  the  number  appears 
almost  a  miracle.     Some  days,  when  there  was  nothing 
to  eat,   and  no  means  of  making  a  fire,  they  passed 
5ntn-ely  in  bed ;  on  others,  after  a  weary  and  exhaust 


II 

4: 


I    I   ■ 


i26  FRANKLIN'S   FIRST  LAND   EXPEDITION 

ing  travel,  their  only  nourishment  on  halting  for  tlie 
night  was  tripe  de  roche,  or  rock-tripe,  a  Hpecies  of 
lichen,  a  plant  of  most  nauseous  taste,  and  the  cause  of 
cruel  bowel  complaints  to  the  wliolo  partv.  Daily  they 
became  weaker,  and  less  capable  of  exf  -iie  of  tne 

canoes  was  so  much  broken  by  a  fall,  tn.\\  '  .a  burned- 
to  cook  a  supper;  the  resource  of  fisl.L.g',  too,  wlj 
denied  them,  for  some  of  the  men,  in  the  recklessneaa 
of  misery,  threw  away  the  nets.  Rivera  were  to  be 
crossed  by  wading,  oi  in  the  canoe ;  on  one  of  these 
occasions  Franklin  took  his  seat  with  two  of  the  voya- 
geurs  in  their  frail  bark,  when  they  were  driven  by  the 
force  of  the  stream  and  the  wind  to  the  verge  of  a  fright- 
ful rapid,  in  which  the  canoe  upset,  and,  but  for  a  rock 
on  whicii  they  found  footing,  they  would  there  have  per- 
ished. On  the  19th,  "  previous  to  setting  out,  the 
whole  party  ate  the  remains  of  their  old  shoes,  and 
whatever  scraps  of  leather  they  had,  to  strengthen  their 
stomachs  for  the  fatigue  of  the  day's  journey.  These," 
adds  Franklin,  "  would  have  satisfied  us  in  ordinary 
times,  but  we  were  now  almost  exhausted  by  slender 
fiire  and  travel,  and  our  appetites  had  become  ravenous. 
We  looked,  however,  with  humble  confidence  to  the 
great  Author  and  Giver  of  all  good  for  a  continuance 
of  the  support  which  had  hitherto  been  always  supplied 
to  us  at  our  greatest  need." 

A  day  or  two  afterwards  the  remaining  canoe  was  left 
behind ;  no  entreaties  could  prevail  on  the  men  to  rarry 
it  further.  Dr.  Richardson,  too,  was  obliged  to  abandon 
his  collection  of  plants  and  minerals,  from  inability  to 
endure  the  burthen.  The  killing  of  five  small  deer  at 
this  time,  however,  enabled  them  to  rest  for  a  couple  ot 
days  to  recruit  their  exhausted  strength.  On  the  L'6tb 
they  canre  to  the  Coppermine,  the  crossing  of  which, 
owing  \<j  their  weak  condition,  the  loss  of  the  canoe, 


FRANKLIN'S   FIRST  LAND  EXPEDITION.  127 

»nd   having  to   cc.ristruct  a   raft  of  w.II,.«,   j         i.' 
dotainoa  the.  untU  the  4th  fll^^Z'Z^ 

the  safety  of  the  party,  a..d  of  relieving  his  sufferi,.. 
companions  from  a  state  of  misery  whiH.  •!  u  *^ 
terminate,  and  that  speedily,  in  d J^tl, ":1  t  1T '^ 
make  the  attempt  to  swim  across  the    tream  '„: 

wUh  h.m  a  hue  by  which  the  raft  n.i.ht  be   hIS 

"  He  launched  into  the  stream,"  says  Franklin    "  with 

e  hne  round  his  middle,  but  when  he  had  got  To  a 

hort  d.stance  from  the  opposite  bank,  his  armsTedme 

them  ,  sti  1  he  persevered,  and,  turning  on  his  back  had 
nearly  gained  the  opposite  shore,  when  h  s  legs  a,so 

inm  sink.  We  instantly  hauled  upon  the  line  and  he 
came  again  on  the  surface,  and  was  gradua  C  law, 
-hore  in  an  almost  lifeless  state.     Being  rolfed  ip^ 

and,  fo.tunately,  was  just  able  to  speak  sufficientlv  to 

Si:rL""i:  ''""'^"^  ''''-'^^^  thetri* 

t  eating  him.     He  recovered  strength  ^raduallv    ...rl 
t  .-ongh  tlje  blessing  of  God,  was  enlblef,  I  th^eo     se' 

suffioil  T,    "•"'  ''  '""^'■^^'  '^"^  by  the  evening  wl 

sufficiently  recovered  to  re  ,ovo  into  the  tent.     We  the, 

-gretted  to  learn  that  the  skin  of  his  whole  left  side 

was  deprived  of  feeling,  in  consequence  of  exposure  to 

00  grea   heat.     He  did  not  perfectly  recover  t'l e  sens^ 

■on  o    that  side  until  the  following  summer      I  cannot 

.lescnl^  w  at  every  one  felt  at  beholding  the  skeleton 

which  the  doctor's  debilitated  frame  exhilitel     When 

he  s  ripped,  the  Canadians  simultaneously  exclaimed^ 

^h!   que  nous  sommes  maigres!'"     They  were  now 

almost  in  the  last  stage  of  starvation  ;  and,  LTit  n.T 


\  e  <i; 


i    .■  ■;  M 


128  FRANKLIN'S   FIRST  LAND   EXPEDITION. 

been  for  the  exertions  of  Hepburn  in  collecting  Iripe  de 
roche,  not  one  of  them  would  have  survived. 

On  the  7th,  when  at  twenty-four  miles  from  Fort 
Enterprise,  a  division  of  the  party  took  place:  Franklin, 
with  eight  of  the  men,  went  on,  v.-hile  Richardson  stayed 
behind  at  the  encampment  to  tend  on  llood,  who  was 
scarcely  able  to  move.  ITepburn  remained  with  them, 
Franklin  was  most  unwilling  to  part  with  any  of  his  com- 
rades, but  saw  the  necessity  of  doing  so.  "  And,  after,'' 
he  says,  "  we  had  united  in  thanksgiving  and  prayers  to 
almighty  God,  I  separated  from  ni^  companions,  deeply 
alBicted  that  a  train  of  melancholy  circumstaiicus  should 
have  demanded  of  me  the  severe  trial  of  psirting,  in  such 
a  condition,  from  fi lends  who  had  become  endeared  to 
me  by  their  constant  kindness  and  cooperation,  and  a 
participation  of  numerous  suflbrings." 

Three  of  the  voyageurs,  unable  to  proceed  with 
Franklin,  and  Michel,  an  Iroquois,  were  permitted  to 
return  to  the  halting-place,  where  they  would  be  at 
least  certain  of  fire  and  rock-tripe  ;  but,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Indian,  they  perished  by  the  way  —  not  one 
of  them  was  ever  seen  again.  Franklin,  with  his  five 
survivors,  reached  Fort  Enterprise  on  the  11th.  What 
a  disappointment  awaited  them  1  Instead  of  a  cordial 
welcome  from  friendly  I'.unters,  and  abundance  of  pro- 
visions, as  had  been  promised,  all  was  a  blank  ;  the 
building  was  tenantlcss. 

A  note  was  found  from  Mr.  Back,  who  had  journoyod 
on  in  advance,  stating  that  he  had  gone  in  search  of  the 
Indians,  and,  if  need  were,  to  Fort  Providence.  This 
was  but  poor  comfort  for  the  famished  travellers,  who 
were  obliged  to  take  up  their  quarters  in  the  dilapidated 
edifice.  The  rubbish-heaps  concealed  beneath  the  snow 
were  searched  for  old  skins,  bones,  or  any  kind  of  oflal 
that  might  serve  as  food  when  stewed  with  rock-tripe. 


FRANKLIN'S  FIRST  LAND  EXPEDITION.  129 

A  goDd  fire  was  a  luxury  seldom  enjoyed,  for  thev  had 
Bcarcoly  strength  to  collect  wood  ^ 

Eignteen  weary  days  were  passed  in  these  paiufu' 
Pnva hons,  when  the  monotony  was  interrupted  by  he 
amval  of  Dr.   Richardson  and  Hepburn.     Their  Ua! 

tate.  Th.  doctor  particularly  remarked  the  sepulchral 
tones  o  our  voices,  which  he  requested  of  us  fo  male 
more  cheerful,  if  possible,   unconscious  that  1  rown 

t,ts  ""t      :^  ''  '\'  '"'  ^"'^  *^^"  ^-'^'«d  info  six 
port  ons.        I  and  my  three  companions."  says  Frank- 

!"'  '•*^«-"«>^  devoured  our  shares,  as  it  was  the 
hrst  morsel  of  flesh  any  of  us  had  tasted  for  mile 
y  unless,  mdeed,  the  small,  gristly  particles  whch 
we  found  occasionally  adhering  to  the  pounded  bones 
n  ay  be  called  flesh."  Richardson  brought  the  melan 
cho  y  ,ntell,gence  that  Mr.  Hood  and  the  Iroquois  we'^ 
^oth  dead.  Michel,  in  a  fit  of  sullen  spite!  to  wl  h 
."c,v,hzed  natures  are  liable,  had  shot  t'he  ;ounrand 

parted  ,  and  h,s  demeanor  towards  the  two  survivors 
becommg  more  and  more  threatening,  the  doctor,  und 
he  .mpenous  inst.nct  of  self-preservation,  took  upon 
..msolf  the  responsibility  of  putting  the  Indian  to  dea  h 
l.y  a  pistol-shot.  As  afterwards  appeared,  there  was 
reason  to  bel.eve  that  two  of  the  missing  vo;ageurs  Ld 
also  been  murdered  by  the  Iroquois  ^ 

davT?te?'F;;-'l  "?'  7'''''''^  P'-^^^y  ^^'^d  on  the  second 
y  ;«;'•  R'chardson's  arrival  at  the  fort.     At  last,  on 

IH.  ni,  of  November,  relief  came,  borne  by  three  In- 
dians  sent  bv  Mr  B-irk      Ti,«  ,«„ 
selves    mn«f    '   f        :         "messengers  proved  them- 

tlves  most  kind,  assiduous  attendants,  "evincing 
humamty  that  would  have  done  honor  to  the  mosclif 
ued  people."     And,  with  good  fires  and  sufficient  food. 


130 


FRANKLIN'S  FIRST  LAND   EXPEDITION. 


the  Bunbrors  began  to  recover  strength.  A  week  later, 
they  were  able  to  set  out  for  Fort  Chipowyaii,  where 
they  remained  until  June  of  the  following  year  In 
July  they  reached  York  Factory,  from  whence  they  had 
started  three  years  before;  and  thus  terminated  a  jour- 
ney of  five  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  during 
whicli  human  courage  and  patience  were  exposed  to 
trials  such  as  few  can  bear  with  fortitude,  unless,  as  is 
peon  in  PYanklin's  interesting  narrative,  it  arises  out  of 
i*!ianco  on  the  ever-sustaining  care  of  an  Almighlv 
rrovidence. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


-  SNOW  IcxT     J v~  ''""'""^'''"-  -  »'""■""'•  -  --voyB  .orK».r. 

PARHEUA.  -n,Tnn»  hom^. -..abrv's  TDIBI.  VOVAGK. 

Thk   poBsibility  of  onten.g   the   Polar  Sea  having 

-een  proved  by  Parry's  fi:.t  voyage,  it  was  consiS 

that  the  north-west  passage  ,night  probably  be  effected 

"a  lower  latitude  than  that  of  Melville  Island   wl    re 

ti.e  icy  burner  had  proved  i.npassable.     Parry  arcord- 

|;;gly  was  sent  out  a  seeond  tin.e  with  the  Uecla  and 

"•  ry   m  May,  1821.  with  instructions  to  make  for  R^ 

pulse  Bay  by  way  of  Hudson's  Strait.     The  forn  er   eve" 

l.av,ng  been   u  ly  examined,  it  was  supposed  tha     ol 

|>pon..g  would  be  found  leading  fro  J  it  to  the  ocel 

Parry,  now  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain,  hoisted 
MS  flag  on  board  the  Fu,y,  while  Captain  Lyon   already 
.l-t.ng„,shed   by  his  services  in  Africa,  rece  ved     he 
-.nn.a,K  of  the  Hecla      The  equipment,   he  victual  ,g 

:;  h  t :  t.  "'  '^^  ^■^^^^'"'  ^^-«  ^"  accon.;;!  s 

Ine  adventurers  quitted  the  Nore  on  the  8th  of  May 
821,  passed  through  the  Pontland  Frith  and  by  Ca^^ 

nroniitau"^i;t"^"'--^r--^^^^^^^ 

oiraii.      larrj,   accustomed   as   he   waa   to 


1 

11, 

*1' 

132 


PARRY'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


viows  of  polar  doHolutioii,  wan  struck  witli  tlio  oxceort 
iiij,'ly  dreary  UHpect  which  tht'HO  Hhorcs  pn^HCiitcd.     Tin- 
niikcd  rockH,  the  hiiow  still  covcrinp  the  vullcys,  and 
the  thick  fogs  that  hung  over  them,  rendered  the  ficei.<. 
iudcHcribal.ly  gloomy.     Tlie  whipH  were  hoou  Hu.roundeil 
by  icebergH,    amounting   to    the    number  of  fifty-four, 
ono  of  which  rose  at  least  two  hun<lred  and  Hfty-eight 
feet  above  the  sea.     They  were  attended  by  large  flocH, 
and  rendered  very  formidable  by  their  rotatory  motion. 
In  spite  of  every  obstruction,  Parry,  early  in  August, 
reached  the  entrance  of  Fox's  Channel,  and  camo  in 
view  of  Southampton  Island.     It  was  now  the  question 
whether  to  sail  directly  up  this  inlet,  and  reach,  by  a 
comparatively  short  route,  Repulse  Bay  and  the  higher 
latitudes,  or  to  make  the  south-western  circuit  of  South- 
ampton Island,  and  ascend  the  beaten  track  of  the  Wel- 
come.    Parry  judiciously  preferred  the  former,  notwith- 
Btanding  its  uncertainties,  on  account  of  the  great  time 
which  would  be  saved  should  the  course  be  found  prac- 
ticable.    On  the  15th  he  came  to  an  opening  stretching 
westward,  and  apparently  separating  the  island  from 
other  land  on  the  north.     Hoping  to  find  this  the  Frozen 
Strait  of  Middleton,  he  entered  it ;  but  it  soon  proved 
a  spacious  and  beautiful  basin,  enclo.sed   by  land  on 
every  side.     He  named  it  the  Duke  of  York's  Bay,  and 
considered  it  one  of  the  finest  harbors  in  the  world ; 
but,  after  admiring  a  large  floe  covered  entirely  with 
minerals,  shells,   and  plants,  he  moved  out  of  it,  and 
pursued  the  voyage. 

On  the  21st  the  navigators  found  themselves  in 
another  strait,  not  much  encumbered  with  ice,  but  dark- 
ened by  thick  fogs ;  and  before  they  knew  distinctly 
where  they  were,  a  heavv  swell  from  the  southward 
Bhowed  that  they  had  already  passed  through  the 
Frozen  Strait,  and   ^'ere  in  the  broad  channel  of  the 


l'AUKY'8  SKUOND   VOYAGE.  13^ 

Wdcomo       Tlu.y   „p,„.,ily   entered    R.-puIno    Bay.    i„ 
vvl.icl.  n.odcrn  .,,,<c.„Iation  had  chori^l.c.,!  the  hope   ,r  , 
f'HSHa,ro;   b,,t  a  Hhort  invcntigatio,,   made  by  \Li.  i, 
ovory  d,n.ct,o„  pr,,vc.d  that  it  was  really,  as  Middlet..,. 
'H.1  doHcnbed  U,  con.pletcly  c.clused.     A  good  deal  of 
■me  had  thus  been  l..t  through  the  HceptL'sm  ho  u 
M.Ht  y  attached  to  tho  narrative  of  that  eminent  sean.ln 
li.e  appearance  of  tho  shores  of  Repulse  Bay  was  far 
from  un,nv.t,ng      .-The  surrounding  land  rose  from  six 
or  seven  hundred  to  a  thousand  feet,  and   there  was  ,0 
want  of  vegetation   usually  found  in   this  part  of  the 
Arctic  regK.ns.a,.d  in  many  parts  it  was  extremely  lux- 
unant.       Remdeer  and  hares  were  plentiful  ;  eo  were 
d,.cks.   dovek.es.    and   snow-bur.tings.     Several    bhck 
w  ales  also  were  observed  in  the  bay.     In  one  spot 
— -  o    „o  less  than  sixty  Esquimaux  habitatio 
were  found,  consisting  of  stones  laid  one  over  the  other 
!"  ^7^  ••^^^"'''^  '^•■^^'^-'  '^^••Sl.t  or  nine  feet  in  Jiamete^-' 
besides  about  a  hundred  artificial  structures,  fireplaces' 
store-houses,  and  other  walled  enclosure,  four  or  five 
f<-''t  h,gh   used  for  keeping  their  skin  cano.s  from  being 
gnawc.l  by  tho  dogs.     I„  va-ous  parts  of  the  sho  e 
were  found  numbers  of  circles  of  stones,  which  were 
supposed  to  have  been  burying-places.  a  human  skull 
being  found  near  one  of  them 

Leavi,,g  Repulse  B.ay,  Parry  began  the  career  of  dfs- 
covory  along  a  coast  hitherto  unknown.  An  inlet  was 
«oon  observed,  and  called  by  the  name  of  Gore  ;  bu 

mouth      ";;  •    '"  "'"''  '"•  '"^'^  *'"  •"*-•'■-■     At  the 
m  uth  of  th,s  opening,   the  valleys  were  richlv  clad 

w  th  grass  and  moss,  the  birds  singing,  butterflies  and 

other  >nsects  displaying  the  most  gaudy  tints,  so  that 

ho  sa.lors  m.ght  lK..e  fancied  themselves  in  s^me  hap- 

.or  chmate    had  not  the  mighty  piles  of  ice  in   the 

l-rozen  Strait  told  a  different  talo. 


i 


134 


PARRY'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


Having  passed  Gore  Inlet,  the  discoverers  found 
themselves  among  those  numerous  ialos  described  by 
Middleton,  which  formed  a  complete  labyrinth  of  various 
shapes  and  sizes,  while  strong  currents  setting  between 
them  in  various  directions,  amid  fogs  and  drifting  ice, 
rendered  the  navigation  truly  perilous.  However,  one 
channel  was  observed,  by  which  the  mariners  at  last 
made  their  way  through  this  perilous  maze.  No  soonei 
had  they  reached  the  open  sea,  than,  being  obliged  to 
run  before  a  strong  northerly  breeze,  they  were  much 
disheartened  to  find  themselves,  on  the  3d  of  Septem- 
ber, at  the  very  point  which  they  had  left  on  the  Gth  of 
August.  All  the  interval  had  been  employed  in  the 
merely  negative  discovery,  that  there  was  nothing  to 
discover. 

The  commander  soon  reached  the  northern  coast,  and 
resumed  his  task,  which  was  rendered  very  tedious  by 
the  necessity  of  examining  every  opening  and  channel, 
in  the  hope  that  each  might  prove  the  desired  passage 
into  the  Polar  Ocean,  lie  first  explored  a  In.rge  inlet, 
the  name  of  which  he  gave  to  Captain  Lyon  ;  then  a 
smaller  one,  which  was  named  from  Lieutenant  Ilopp- 
ner  ;  and  by  connecting  these  with  Gore  Inlet,  he  com- 
pleted his  delineation  of  the  coast. 

The  seamen  had  the  pleasure  of  opening  a  traffic  with 
a  party  of  Esquimaux,  whose  first  timidity  was  soon 
overcome  by  the  hope  of  being  supplied  with  some  iron 
tools.  In  the  course  of  tliis  transaction,  the  surprise 
of  the  crew  was  roused  by  the  conduct  of  a  lady,  who 
had  sold  one  boot,  but  obstinately  retaitied  the  other, 
in  disregard  of  the  strongest  remonstrances  as  to  the 
ridicuhnis  figure  siie  in  consequence  made.  At  lengtti 
suspicion  rose  to  such  a  pitch,  that,  all  courtesy  being 
6et  aside,  her  person  was  seized,  and  the  buskin  pulled 
off.     Then,  indeed,  it  proved  a  compU^te  depository  of 


PARRY'S  SECOND  VOYAGE.  233 

Tr!Zf''"Tr'  *^"'  ^'"'"^  ""  '^««  "'^"  t^«  spoons  and 
a  pewter  plate  secreted  within  its  capacious  cavity 

The  end  of  September  now  approached,  and  Parrv 
foun-1  himself  suddenly  in  the  depth   of  winter      A , 

the  so  t  or  pancake  ,ce  on  the  surface  of  the  deep.     The 
obstacle  thereby  occasioned  was  at  first  so  slight  as  to 
be  scarcely  felt  by  a  ship  before  a  brisk  gale;  but    t 
eontnnully  increased,  till  at  length  the  veLl   rollnl 
from  «de  to  side,  became  like  Gulliver  bound  by   h! 
feeble   hands   of  Lilliputians.     At  the  same  time     he 
vanous  p.eces  of  drift-ice,  which  were  tossing  in  the 
sea  without    had  been  cemented  into  one  great  field 
called  "the  ce,"  that  threatened  eveiy  moment  to  be 
down  upon  the  brigs  and  dash  them  in  pieces.     Unde 
these  circumstances,  the  navigators  could  no   longe 
even  attempt  to  reach  the  land,  but  determined  to  saw 
to  the  heart  of  an  adjoining  floe,  and  there  take  up 
the,r  wmter  quarters.     There  was  about  half  a  mile  to 
penetrate,  wh,ch,  in  the  soft  state  of  the  pancake  le 
was   not  very  laborious.     It  was,  however,  tZl 
pleasant,  as  .t  bended  like  leather  beneath  their  f  e^ 
and   caused  them  sometimes  to  sink  into  the  wa  e  ' 

An  observation  of  Parry  shows  that  the  Arctic  cli- 
mate,  equa  ly  with  our  own,  is  influenced  by  a  chang 
of  the  wmd.     Thus,  on  the  20th  ."  October  when    he 
w.nd  was  N.  N.  W.,  the  thermometer  fell  to  iT^^   i^' 
voe..ngtotheS.E.onthe24thand25th.it 
Trtl  ■  ,  r      ^'^  P«««'l''y."  he  says,  "incur  tne  charge 

aflect.  ,on  m  stating  that  this  temperature  was  mufh 

the  r£      hlr  '^'"f  ?  *°  "^  '  '"*  '■*  '''  — rtheless. 
^anLe      T       ''""""^^  '''*  ^"^  complained  of  the 
cUnge.     rins  m  explamed  by  their  clothing,  bedding 


J  36 


PARRY'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


fires,  and  other  precautions  against  the  seventy  of  the 
climate,  having  been  once  adapted  to  a  low  degree  of 
cold,  an  increase  of  temperature  renders  them  oppress- 
ive and  inconvenient."  Another  circumstance  is  men. 
tiunod,  which  may  servo  to  confirm  a  conjecture  which 
das  long  been  maintained  by  some,  that  an  open  sea, 
free  of  ice,  exists  at  or  near  tiie  pole.  "On  the  2d  of 
November,"  says  Parry,  "  the  wind,  freshened  up  to  a 
'^•ale  from  N.  by  VV.,  lowered  the  thermometer  before 
.nidnight  to  — 5",  whereas  a  rise  of  wind  at  Melville 
Island  was  generally  accompanied  by  a  simultaneons 
rise  in  the  thermometer  at  low  temperatures.  May  not 
this,"  he  asks,  "  be  occasioned  by  the  wind  blowing 
over  an  open  sea  in  the  quarter  from  which  the  wind 
blows,  and  tend  to  confum  the  opinion  that  at  or  near 
the  pole  an  open  sea,  free  of  ice,  exists  ?  " 

Parry  was  now  frozen  up  for  another  winter  in  the 
midst  of  the  Northern  Sea,  and  he  forthwith  applied 
himself  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements,  with  that 
judicious  foresight  which  had  been  already  so  conspic- 
uous in  the  same  trying  circumstances.  As  the  result 
of  experience,  not  less  than  of  several  ingenious  con- 
trivances, the  ships  were  much  more  thoroughly  heated 
than  in  the  former  voyage  ;  the  provisioning,  too,  was 
more  ample,  and  antidotes  against  scurvy  still  more 
copiously  supplied.  The  Polar  Theatre  opened,  on  the 
Otii  of  February,  with  "  The  Kivals."  The  two  captains 
appeared  as  Sir  Anthony  and  Captain  Absolute;  while 
those  who  personated  the  ladies  had  very  generously 
removed  an  ample  growth  of  beard,  disregarding  the 
comfortable  warmth  which  it  alTorded  in  an  Arctic  cli- 
mate. The  company  were  well  received,  and  went 
through  their  performances  with  unabated  spirit.  But 
the  discomfort  of  a  stage,  the  exhibitions  of  which  were 


PARRY'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


13« 


attended  with  a  cold  thirty  degrees  under  the  lieozinff 

point,  became  rather  severe. 
The  sailors  found  for  themselves  a  more  sober  and 

useful,    as  well  as   efficacious   remedy  against  ennui. 

i  aey  established  a  school,  in  which  the  better  instructed 

undertook  to  revive  the  knowledge  of  letters  among 
•use  who  had  almost  entirely  lost  the  slight  tincture 
that  they  had  once  imbibed.     Those  hardy  tars  applied 
themselves  to  their  book  with  ardent  and  laudable  zeal, 
an.    showe  I  a  pride  in  their  new  attainments  like  that 
o.  little  boys  in  their  first  class.     At  Christmas,  sixteen 
well-written  copies  were  produced  by  those  who,  two 
nionths   before,   could   scarcely   form    a   letter.     Amid 
these  varied  and  pleasing  occupations,  the  shortest  day 
passed  over  their  heads  almost  unobserved,  especially 
as  the  sun  did  not  entirely  leave  them.     Captain  Lyon 
never  saw  a  merrier  festival  than  was  celebrated  on 
board. 

The  first  day  of  the  new  year  is  described  as  bein-  5 
very  severe  one  in  the  open  air,  the  thermometer  down 
to  — 2-  ,  and  the  wind  blowing  strong  from  the  N   W 
on  which  it  may  be  observed,  that  the  effect  of  a  strong 
breeze  on   the  feelings,  even  in  temperate  climates,  is 
well  known,  but  at  low  temperatures  it  becomes  pain- 
lul,  and  almost  insupportable.     "  Thus,"   says    Parrv 
''  with  the  thermometer  at  -55°,  and  no  win<l  stirring 
the  hands  may  remain  uncovered  for  ten  minutes  or  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  without  inconvenience  :   while,  with 
a  f.e.sh  breeze,  and  the  thermometer  nearly  as  hi.-h  as 
'<=ero,  few  people  can  keep  their  hands  exposed  so^long 
without  considerable  pain." 

The  monotony  of  the  scene  was  now  greatly  relieved 
by  a  fi-iendly  visit  from  the  natives,  and  an  invitation 
y  gjven  to  the  Esquimaux  to  repair  to  the  ships, 
^hen  hity  accepted  it  with  alacrity.     Partly  walking 


!  ■;■■ 


138 


PARRY'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


and  partly  skipping,  they  speedily  reached  the  vessels, 
where  a  striking  congeniality  of  spirit  was  soon  found 
to  exist  between  them  and  the  sailors ;  boisterous  fun 
forming  to  each  the  chief  source  of  enjoyment.  A 
fiddle  and  drum  being  produced,  the  natives  struck  up 
a  dance,  or  rather  a  succession  of  vehement  leaps,  ac- 
companied with  loud  shouts  and  yells.  Seeing  tiie 
Kabloonas,  or  Whites,  as  they  called  our  countrymen, 
engaged  in  the  game  of  leap-frog,  they  attempted  to 
join  ;  but  not  duly  understanding  how  to  measure  their 
movements,  they  made  such  over-leaps  as  sometimes 
to  pitch  on  the  crown  of  their  heads ;  however,  they 
sprang  up  quite  unconcerned.  Their  attention  was  spe- 
cially attracted  to  the  effects  of  a  winch,  by  which  one 
Bailor  drew  towards  him  a  party  of  ten  or  twelve  of  their 
number,  though  grinning  and  straining  every  nerve  in 
resistance ;  but,  finding  all  in  vain,  they  joined  in  the 
burst  of  good-humored  laughter  till  tears  streamed  from 
their  eyes. 

One  intelligent  old  man  followed  Captain  Lyon  to  the 
cabin,  and  viewed,  with  rational  surprise,  various  objects 
which  were  presented.  The  performance  of  a  hand-organ 
and  a  musical  snuff-box  struck  him  with  breathless  ad- 
miration ;  and,  on  seeing  drawings  of  the  Esquimaux 
in  Hudson's  Strait,  he  soon  understood  them,  and  point 
ed  out  the  difference  between  their  dress  and  appear- 
ance and  that  of  his  own  tribe.  On  viewing  the  sketch 
of  a  bear,  he  raised  a  loud  cry,  drew  up  his  sleeves,  and 
showed  the  scars  of  three  deep  wounds  recived  in  en- 
counters with  that  terrible  animal. 

As  spring  advanced,  the  attention  of  the  officers  was 
almost  wholly  engrossed  by  the  prospects  of  discovery 
during  the  approaching  summer.  The  Esquimaux,  by 
no  means  destitui^  of  intelligence,  and  accustomed  to 
shift  continually  from  place  to  place,  were  fcnind  to 


PARRY'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


139 


have  acquired  a  very  extensive  knowledge  of  the  seas 
and  coasts  of  this  part  of  America.     One  female,  in  par 
ticular,  named  Iligliuk,  who  bore  even  among  her  coun- 
trymen  the  character  of  "  a  wise  woman,"  was,  after 
a  httle  instruction,  enabled  to  convey  to  the  strangers 
the  outlines  of  her  geographical  knowledge  in  the  form 
of  a  rude  map.     A  pencil  being  put  into  her  hand,  she 
traced  the  shore  from  Repulse  Bay  with  such  a  degree 
of  accuracy  as  inspired  great  confidence  in  what  she 
might  further  delineate.     She  then  began  to  exhibit  a 
coast  reaching  far  to  the  north,  being,  in  fact,  the  east- 
orn  limits  of  Melville  Peninsula.     Next  her  pencil  took 
a  western  direction,  when  her  further  progress   was 
watched  with  the  deepest  interest;  in  the  course  of 
which  she  represented  a  strait  between  two  opposite 
lands,  that  extended  westward  till  it  opened  on  each 
Bide,  and  spread  into  an  ocean  apparently  unbounded 
This  sketch,  which  promised  to  fulfil  their  most  sanguine 
hopes,  gratified  the  officers  beyond  measure,  and  they 
loaded  Iligliuk  with  attentions. 

Parry  gives  an   interesting   account  of  the   suuden 
appearance   of  an   Esquimaux   snow  village   near  the 
ships.     "  If  the  first  view,"  he  says,  "  of  the  exterior 
of  this  httle  village  was  such  as  to  create  astonishment, 
that   feeling  was  in   no   small   degree    heightened   on 
accepting  the  invitation  soon  given  us  to  enter  these 
extraordinary  houses,  in  the  construction  of  which  we 
observed  that  not  a  single  material  was  used  but  snow 
and   ice.     After  creeping  through   two  low  passages, 
having  each  its  arched  doorway,  we  came  to  a  small 
circular  apartment,   of  which   the   roof  was  a  perfect 
arched  dome.     From  this  three  doorways,  also  arched, 
and  of  larger  dimensions  than  the  outer  ones,  led  into 
as  many  inhabited  apartments,  one  on  each  side,  and  the 
ether  focing  us  as  we  entered.     The  interior  of  these 


I 


',,'1 


140 


PARRY'S  SECOND   VOYAGE. 


presented  a  Bcono  no  less  novel  than  interestitig.  The 
women  wore  Hontcil  on  the  beds  at  the  sides  of  tho 
huts,  eacli  having  her  little  fireplace,  or  lainj),  with  all 
her  domestic  utensils  about  her ;  the  children  crept 
behind  their  niotiiers,  and  the  dogs,  except  tho  f'enialo 
ones,  which  were  indulged  with  a  part  of  tho  beds, 
slunk  out  past  us  in  dismay.  The  construction  of  this 
'nhulnted  part  of  the  huts  was  similar  to  that  of  the 
enter  apartment,  being  a  dome  formed  by  separate 
blocks  of  snow,  laid  with  great  regularity  and  no  small 
art,  each  being  cut  into  tho  shape  requisite  to  Ibrm  a 
substantial  arch,  from  seven  to  eight  feet  high  in  tho 
centre,  and  having  no  support  whatever  but  what  this 
principle  of  building  supplied." 

These  Esqnimau.K  display  much  skill  in  fitting  fvnd 
sewing  their  dresses,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  canoes, 
weapons,  and  domestic  implements.  They  eat  little  else 
than  animal  food,  and,  whenever  they  can  get  it,  will 
devour  from  ten  to  twelve  pounds  of  tlesh  or  blubber 
in  a  day.  Their  oidy  domestic  animal  is  the  dog  ;  de- 
prived of  this  useful  creature,  their  existence  would  bo 
extremely  precarious.  On  the  long  journeys  which  they 
take;  in  search  of  food,  six  of  these  dogs  will  draw  a 
sledge  with  a  load  of  half  a  ton  from  seven  to  eight 
miles  an  hour  during  a  whole  day. 

Captain  Lyon,  in  the  middle  of  March,  undertook  a 
journey  across  a  piece  of  land  lying  between  the  station 
of  the  ships  and  the  continent,  which  had  been  mimed 
Winter  Island.  The  party  were  scarcely  gone,  when 
they  encountered  a  heavy  gale,  bringing  with  it  clonda 
of  drift,  and  a  cold  so  intense  that  tiiey  could  not  stop 
for  a  moment  without  having  their  faces  covered  with 
frost-bites  :  and  their  escape  with  their  lives  during  tho 
night  ami  following  day  was  nearly  miracidous.  Their 
Bledg*?  was  lost  in  the  snow.     Some  began  to  sink  into 


Ji'iwiiiiA^i 


■'i  -I 


■B|K 


PARRY'S  SECOND   VOYAGE. 


143 


by  cold   and  to  red  about  like  drunken  men.     In  fact 
thoy    ad  res,gnod  almost  every  hope  of  escape,  who,  ' 

^2' J'/''"'^  r^^^'^^^  *  newly-beaten' track,' 
«^ Inch  they  de  ernuned  to  follow,  and  in  ten  minutes  i 
hem  to  he  ships.  Their  arrival  there  caused 
ndescr-bablejoy,  as  they  had  been  nearly  given  up  ibr 
loB  ;  whde  no  one  could  be  sent  in  search  of  t'h  m 
without  imminent  risk  of  sharing  their  fato. 

rJofZ  ^'""r  1"'''^'"*''  ""^  ""«»«««««ful  attempts  to 
fioe  the  vessels  from  the  ice,  they  at  length,  on  the  2d 
July,  resumed  their  voyage  of  discovery  ihey  had  a 
avorable  run  through   the  entrance,  J,ich  formed   a 

horn  the    north  was  still  bringing  down   the  ice  with 
g  eat  force.     The  Ilecla  underwent  some  severe  pros  ! 
"OS  and,  with.n  fivo  or  six  hundred  yard«  of  the  Fury 
wo  large  floes  dashed  against  each  other  with  such  a' 
tremendous  concussion,  that  numberless  huge  masse 
were  thro. n  fifty  or  sixty  feet  into  the  air.  ^he  ves- 
sel  had  she  come  for  a  second  within  the  sphere  of 
Lose  movements,  must  have  been  crushed  to  pieces - 
-appily  she  escaped.     This  current,  however,  was  highly 
promismg  smce  it  could  not  be  traced  to  the  mouth  o^ 
Hudson's  Stra.t,  and  must  therefore,  they  concluded 
have  come  from  the  Western  Ocean,  which  they  were  o 
iinxious  to  reach.  ^ 

The  ice  passed  by,  and  the  ships  proceeded  with  a 
f  vonng  wmd  and  tide.     The  shores  began  now  to  ju 
on  their  summer  aspect ;    the  snow  had  nearly  disap 

com  of  Arctic  vegetation.  The  navigators  oame 
^o  a  fine  river  named  Barrow,  which  formed  a  mo  J 
P.ctures,ue  fall  down  rocks  richly  fringed  wi'th  ve^ 
'.rilhant  plants.     Here  the  reindeer  spoiting,  the  e^deT 


■I 


144 


PARRY'S  SECOND  VOi'AQE. 


duck,  the  golden  plover,  and  the  snow  bunting  spread* 
tug  their  wings,  produced  a  gay  and  delightful  Hceno. 
On  the  11th  they  reached  the  island  of  Aniitiokc,  which 
had  been  described  aj  situated  near  the  strait  they  wcra 
thou  endeavoring  to  attain. 

The  discoverers  now  proceeded  northwards,  and  saw 
before  them  a  bold  and  high  range  of  coast,  apparent. >" 
separated  from  that  along  which  they  were  sailing. 
This  feature,  agreeing  with  the  indications  of  Iliglink, 
flattered  them  that  they  were  approaching  the  strait 
exhibited  by  her  as  forming  the  entrance  into  the  Polar 
Basin.  They  pushed  on,  full  of  hope  and  annnatinn,  and 
were  further  cheered  by  reaching  the  small  island  of 
Igloolik,  which  she  had  described  as  situated  at  th(!  very 
commencement  of  the  passage.  Accordingly,  they  soon 
flaw  the  strait  stretching  westward  before  tliein  in  long 
perspective  ;  but,  alas  1  they  discovered  at  the  same 
moment  an  unbroken  sheet  of  ice  from  shore  to  shore, 
crossing  and  blocking  up  the  passage  ;  and  this  nut  a 
loose  accidental  floe,  but  the  field  of  the  preoding 
winter,  on  which  the  midsummer  sun  had  not  produced 
the  slightest  change.  Unable  to  advance,  they  amused 
themselves  with  land  excursions  in  diflerent  directions  ; 
and  Parry  at  length  determined,  on  the  14th  August, 
with  a  party  of  six,  to  undertake  an  expedition  along  the 
frozen  surface  of  the  strait. 

The  journey  was  very  laborious,  the  ice  being  some- 
times thrown  up  in  rugged  hummocks,  and  occasionally 
leaving  large  spaces  of  open  water,  which  it  was  neces- 
sary to  cross  on  a  plank,  or  on  pieces  of  ice,  instead  of 
boats.  In  four  days  they  came  in  view  of  a  peninsula 
terminuted  by  a  bold  cape,  the  approach  to  which  was 
guarded  by  successive  ranges  of  strata,  resembling  the 
tiers  or  galleries  of  a  commanding  fortification.  The 
v^arty,  however,  scrambled  'o  the  summit,  whence  thcj 


fARUY'S  SECOND   VOYAGR 


141! 


ei.Joyed  a  nx.flt  gratifying  epectaclc.  Thoy  were  at  tl.o 
narrowest  part  ofthoBtrait,  Lore  about  two  miles  across 
witl,  a  tide  or  current  running  through  it  at  the  rate  of 
two  miles  an  hour.  Westward,  the  shores  on  each  side 
receded,  till,  lor  three  points  of  the  con.pass,  and  an.id 
a  clear  horizon,  no  land  was  visible.  Parry  doubted 
not  that  from  this  position  he  beheld  the  Polar  Sea 
into  which,  notwithstanding  the  formidable  barriers  of 
ice  which  intervened,  ho  cherished  the  mc.st  sanguine 
hopes  of  forcing  his  way.  Ue  named  this  the  Strait  of 
the  Fury  and  Ilecla. 

He  now  lost  no  time  in  returning  to  the  ships,  where 
his  arrival  was  very  seasonable  ;  for  the  opposin-  bar- 
ner,  which  had  been  gradually  softening  and  breaking 
into  various  rents  and  fissures,  at  once  almost  entirely 
disappeared,    and   the  vessels   next  morning  were  in 
open  water.     On  the  2l8t  they  got  under  weigh,  and, 
though  retarded  by  fogs  and  other  obstructions,  had 
arrived  on  the  26th  at  that  central  and  narrowest  chan- 
iiol  which   the   commander  had  Ibrmerly  reached      A 
brisk   breeze   now   sprang   up,    the   sky  cleared,  they 
dashed  across  a  current  of  three  or  four  knots  an  hour 
and   sanguinely   hoped   for  an   entire   success,    which 
would  compensate  so  many  delays  and  disappointments, 
buddonly,  it  was   announced   from  the  crow's  nest 
that  ice,  in  a  continuous  field,  unmoved  from  its  wintei 
Btation,  occupied  the  whole  breadth  of  the  channel      In 
.'ill   hour   thoy  reached   this   barrier,  which   they  found 
suit,  porous,  and  what  is  termed  rotten.     Spreading  all 
Iheir  canvas,  they  bore  down  upon  it,  and  actually  forced 
their  way  through  a  space  of  three  or  four  hundred 
yards  :  but  there  they  stuck,  and  found  their  progress 
arrested  by  an  impenetrable  mass.     From  this  point 
dunng   the  whole  season,  the   ships  were   unable  vi 

1* 


14G 


PARRY'S  SECOND   VOVAGE. 


advance  a  single  yivril  ;  nor  had  the  crews  any  ineani 
of  exerting  their  activity  except  in  land  journeys. 

Captain  Lyon  undertook  an  expedition  southward,  to 
ascertain  if  any  inlet  or  passage  from  sea  to  sea  in  this 
direction  had  escaped  notice.  The  country,  however, 
was  so  filled  with  rugged  and  rocky  hills,  some  a  thou- 
sand feet  high,  and  with  chains  of  lakes  in  which  much 
ice  was  floating,  that  ho  could  not  proceed  above  seven 
miles.  Though  it  was  the  beginning  of  September,  the 
season  was  only  that  of  early  spring  ;  and  the  buds  of 
the  poppy  and  saxifrage  were  just  unfolding,  to  be  pro- 
ma*  urely  nipped  by  the  fast-approaching  winter. 

More  satisfactory  information  was  derived  from 
another  excursion  made  by  Messrs.  Reid  and  Bushman, 
who  penetrated  sixty  miles  westward  along  the  southern 
coast  of  Cockburn  Island,  till  they  reached  a  pinnacle, 
whence  they  saw,  beyond  all  doubt,  the  Polar  Ocean 
spreading  its  vast  expanse  before  them  ;  but  tremendous 
barriers  of  ice  filled  the  strait,  and  precluded  all  ap- 
proach towards  that  great  and  desired  object. 

It  was  now  the  middle  of  September,  and  the  usual 
symptoms  of  deer  trooping  in  herds  southward,  floating 
pieces  of  ice  consolidated  into  masses,  and  the  thin 
pancake  crust  forming  on  the  surface  of  the  waters, 
reminded  the  mariners  not  only  that  they  could  hope 
for  no  further  removal  of  the  obstacles  which  arrested 
their  progress,  but  that  they  must  lose  no  time  in  pro- 
viding winter  quarters.  The  middh;  oi'  the  strait,  at  the 
ppot  where  they  had  been  first  stopped,  occurred  as  the 
station  whence  they  would  be  most  likely  to  push 
future  discovery  ;  but  prudence  suggested  a  doubt, 
whether  the  ships,  enclosed  in  this  icy  prison,  with 
such  strong  barriers  on  each  side,  might  ever  bo  able  to 
effect  their  extrication  The  chance  of  being  shut  up 
here  for  eleven  months,  amid  the  privations  of  an  Arctic 


i'ARRVS  SKCOND  VOYAGE  14, 

01  heart  than  m  tho  two  fbnnor  voiin      vvr..  1  i 

ol  the  drama,  or  even  of  tho  8cf,o..l      1     4i  •  "' "^ 

'.o.h  or  w..eri.and,ti!;:r  do :;.:.::;::; 

seven  weeks  of  the  sun's  cheerin,.  beanL.    On     e  2  I  of 

December  refraction  still  showed,  fron.  tho  deck  of    ho 

ury,  about  the  sixteenth  part  of  his  .ii.sk.     A    the  New 

U.ar,  Arcuru.aud  Gapella,  stars  of  the  /irst  n,arit„,r 

were,  v.s.le  half  an  h..nrbe,ore  and  anern-:;'"^ 
tf.  5th  of  January,  1823,  the  horizon  was  so  bL.tlv 
Huilu^ed  w,th  red,  that  they  hoped  ere  long  to  s  '  t  e 
«"..'s  orb  burst  /brth  ;  but  a  fortnight  of  thfck  fb«  occ. 

r::^^;^''""r'"--  «'--^«'Mi.esk;t: ; 

-leared,  they  saw  hnn  rise,  attended  by  two  parhelia. 


PAnilGLIA. 


splendor  of  th,s  cheering  spectacle.     One  of  these  par- 


148 


rAUnVS  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


holia  was  very  bright  and  prismatic,  being  thrown  upon 
a  thick  cloud  ;  t!ie  other  scarcely  perceptible,  having  a 
blue  sky  as  its  back-ground.  To  each  of  these  raock 
Buns  bright  yellow  bands  of  light  were  attached,  aa 
ghown  in  the  diagram. 

The  sailors  found  at  Igloolik  a  colony  of  Esquimaux, 
who  received  them  at  first  with  surprise  and  some  de- 
gree of  alarm  ;  but,  on  learning  they  were  from  Wintei 
Island,  and  intimate  with  its  tenants  of  last  season,  they 
welcomed  them  as  familiar  acquaintances.  The  crews 
spent  the  winter  with  them  on  a  friendly  footing,  and 
rendered  important  services  to  many  individuals  during 
a  period  of  severe  sickness. 

The  spring  proved  unfavorable.  Captain  Lyon  at- 
tempted to  penetrate  across  Melville  Peninsula,  but 
found  the  road  so  barred  by  steep  chains  of  mountains, 
that  he  was  obliged  to  return  in  nineteen  days,  without 
any  discovery,  except  of  tv/o  rapid  rivers  falling  into 
the  sea  near  Igloolik.  Lieut.  Iloppner  accompanied  a 
party  of  Esquimaux  to  Cockburn  Island,  but  could  not 
make  his  way  to  any  distance  inland.  It  was  the  7th 
of  August  before  they  were  able,  by  severe  sawing,  to 
reach  the  open  sea  ;  by  which  time  Parry  had  renounced 
the  hope  of  effecting  anything  important  during  the 
short  remnant  of  this  season.  He  formed,  however,  a 
very  bold  plan,  which  was  to  bring  all  the  stores  of  the 
other  vessel  on  board  the  Fury,  and  Avith  it  aJone  to 
lirave  a  tliird  winter  in  the  polar  regions,  hoping  that 
the  succeeding  summer  might  be  more  propitious.  But. 
as  ho  was  preparing  to  carry  this  too  daring  prqj(,'ct  into 
efl'ect,  a  report  was  made  that  symptoms  of  scurvy  had 
broken  out  on  several  of  the  crew,  whose  pliysical 
strength  appeared  to  be  generally  impaired  by  the  two 
hard  winters  through  which  they  had  passcul.  This  left 
uo  choice  ;  and,  in  compliance  with  the  general  opinion 


PARRY'S  THIRD   VOYAGE.  149 

Of  Ms  officera,  he  forthwith  began  his  voyage  home- 

The  ships  were  drifted  about  in  a  stormy  sea,  covered 
with  .ce,  for  twenty-four  days  ;  but,  being  It  h^st  favored 

Shetland  '^'''"'  ''''■  ^^"^^^  "'  ^^^  ^ound. 

Two  attempts  had  thus  been  made,  each  to  a  certain 
po.nt  successful,  but  both  arrested  nu.ch  short  of  tie 
complefon  of  the  grand  enterprise.     The  govornn 
at  home    however,  were  not  willing  to  stop  sho       n 
tl-u    sp.„^ed  career.     The  western^.tremif      f  M  i 
vile  Island   and  the  Strait  of  the  Fury  and  Hec  a  t 
poared  to  be  both  so  blocked  up  as  to  afford  liUlc  h^  J- 
but  Pnnce  Regent's  Inlet  seemed  more  likely       lead    o 
a  Prosperons  issue.     A  passage  through  this  cllnel 
ou  d  b„ng  the  ships  to  the  great  sea  bounding   he 
urthern  coast  of  America,  that  had  been  seen  from    he 
tra.tment.oned  above,  and  by  which  there  was    he 
an-est  prospect  of  reaching,  by  the  most  direct  .-oute 
the  waters  of  the  g,-eat  Pacific.     To  follow  up  t'c^e 
v.ews,  Parry  was  again  fitted  out  i..  the  Ilecla  ;  wl  le 
m  the  accdontal  absence  of  Captain  Lyon,  the  Fury 
was  n.  rusted   to   Lieutenant,  now  Captain,  I  oppn  J 
who  h..d  taken  an  active  part  in  the  operations  of'  the 
prece<^ing  voyage. 

of  Mlv'mf "'  T  ""'  ^'"  """''''''''  «"  ^''«  ^9fh 

of  June      A    ti"      ""  '"  '^'"''^'^  ^^™*  ''^  *''«  "-'^le 
of  June.     As  the  season,  however,  chanced  to  be  pecu- 

ar  y  ngoruus,  it  was   not  till  the   lOth  of  September 

at  after  .•epoated  .-epulsos  and  severe  strainir^.  they 

ca^^ght  a  ^•.ew  of  the  bold  and  magnificent  shores  oT 

Waster  Sound,  in  which  a  few  solitary  icebergs  were 

at,ng      After  this  they  thought  themselves  fo'rtunate 

v^Lon,  by  push.ng   their  way  through   many  miles   of 


^'f^'mm.. 


150 


PARKYS  THIIU)    VOYACiK, 


ncwly-forincd  ice,  tlicy  roacliod   Tort   Howcii,  in  time  to 
miiko  it  their  winter  (lUiirtorw. 

Here  they  reniuinctl  until  tlie  20tli  of  July,  1S25, 
when  tli(!  voyaj^c  was  resumed,  hut  unth-r  very  dis- 
ciuiaging  eireunistances.  (Jreat  accuniuhitiuiiH  id'  ito 
rendored  it  ahnost  iinpossihh'  to  advance  ;  the  Fu'y 
was  driven  on  sliore,  and  al)andoned,  tliong'li  most  ol 
lier  stores  were  sav(;d  and  pih'd  on  the  beucli  ;  and  the 
Iloehi  returned  to  Enghmd  with  a  double  complement 
t>r  men  and  oflicers.  This  was  the  least  successful  oi" 
Parry's  voyages,  but  there  is  a  lact  connected  with  it 
which  deserves  to  be  recorded  :  it  proved  that  the 
anxiety  and  diillculty  consequent  on  the  loss  of  power 
in  the  compasses  need  no  longer  exist.  The  placing  of  u 
small  circular  plate  of  iron  in  the  liiu;  of  no  direction  of 
the  ship,  an<l  near  to  the  needle,  elVeets  a  compensation 
which  keeps  the  latter  in  working  eijudition.  This  con- 
trivance is  due  to  Mr.  I'eter  Harlow,  of  Woolwich,  and 
Parry  says,  "  Never  had  an  invention  a  more  complete 
and  satisfactory  triumph  ;  for  to  the  last  moment  of  o»ir 
opiM-ations  at  sea  did  th(!  compass  indicate  tht  true 
magnetic  direction." 


CHAPTER    VII. 

r"^rr™;^'r/i:-— ,-;;rr,,:.;:;::;r 

UN.-K.C.MUDSON'8    mV.«,0N._8KC0ND     WINTKB    AT    tL    KoI<T 

CoNcuKUKNTi^Y  with  Parry's  third  vnyage,  throe  other 
expeditions  were   undertaken,  with  the  two-fold  object 
of  inalxinrr  the  north-west  passa-eand  of  cornpletino-  tlio 
survey  of  the   North    America.,    cast.     The    fi.-st,   l,y 
Captain   Lyo..,  i„   tho   Griper,  was  to  proceed  by  llud- 
son  s  St.-a.t  and  Sir  Thomas  Rowe's  Welcome  to  Re- 
pulse Bay  ;   then  to  cross  over  iMelville  Isthmus,  and 
Burvey  the  coast  of  America  as  far  as  whe.e  Franklin 
eft  off.  at  Point  Tu.-nagain.     The  vessel  sailed  in  June 
18Lt,  but,  being  totally  unfit  for  the  service,  except  in 
the  quality  of  strength,  she  was  nearly  wrecked  o.i  two 
occasions  i„  the  Welcome,  and   ■ill  on  boanl  placed  in 
imminent  peril  of  their  lives  ;  and  at  last.  Repulse  Hay 
hoi.ig  (Mgl.ty  miles  distant,  the   ontorpriHo  was  aban- 
doned 

The  second  expe.lition,  in  the  Blossom,  under  tho 
command  of  Captain  Beechey,  was  despatched  in  1825 
to  sai.  .o.ind  Cape  Horn,  and  enter  tho  Polar  Sea  by 
Behr.ng's  Strait,  so  as  to  arrive  at  Cl.amisso  Island,  in 
Kotzebue  Sound,  by  the  10th  of  July,  1820,  there  to 
wa.t  for  the  third  expedition,  under  Franklin,  of  which 
more  presently. 


152 


BEECHEY'S  EXPEDITION. 


On  the  2(1  of  June,  having  left  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
he  shaped  his  course  for  Karntschatka,  and  on  the  27th 
was  becalmed  within  six  miles  of  Petropalauski.  The 
best  guides  to  this  harbor  are  a  range  of  high  moun 
tains,  on  one  of  which,  upwards  of  eleven  thousand  feet 
in  height,  a  volcano  is  in  constant  action.  It  was  a 
■erene  and  beautiful  evening  when  they  approached  this 
remote  quarter  of  the  world,  and  all  were  struck  with 
the  magnificence  of  the"  mountains  capped  with  peren- 
nial snow,  and  rising  in  solemn  grandeur  one  above  the 
other.  At  intervals  the  volcano  emitted  dark  columns 
of  smoke;  and,  from  a  sprinkling  of  black  spots  upon 
the  snow  to  the  leeward,  it  was  conjectured  there  had 
been  a  recent  eruption. 

From  Petropalauski,  Beechey  sailed,  on  the  Ist  of 
July,  for  Kotzebue's  Sound.  "  We  approached,"  says 
he,  "the  strait  which  separates  the  two  great  continents 
of  Asia  and  America,  on  one  of  those  beautiful  still 
nights  well  known  to  all  who  have  visited  the  Arctic 
regions,  when  the  sky  is  without  a  cloud,  and  when  the 
midnight  sun,  scarcely  his  own  diameter  below  the 
horizt  n,  tinges  with  a  bright  hue  all  the  northern  circle. 
Our  ship,  propelled  by  an  increasing  breeze,  glided  rap- 
idly along  a  smooth  sea,  startling  from  her  path  flocks 
of  aquatic  birds,  whose  flight,  in  the  deep  silence  of  the 
scene,  could  be  traced  by  the  ear  to  a  great  distance." 
Having  closed  in  with  the  American  shore  some  miles 
northward  of  Cape  Prince  of  Wales,  they  were  visited 
by  a  little  Esquimaux  squadron  belonging  to  a  village 
situated  on  a  low  sandy  island. 

The  natives  readily  sold  everything  they  possessed, 
and  were  cheerful  and  good-humored,  though  exceed- 
ingly noisy  and  energetic.  Their  bows  were  more  slen- 
der t'"  .,  those  of  the  islanders  to  the  southward,  but 
made  v..  the  same  principle,  with  drift-pine,  assisted 


•J 

1 

! 

BEECIIEY'S  EXPEDITION.  153 

With  tbongB  Of  hide,  or  pieccB  of  whalebone  placed  at 
the   hack,    and   neatly   bound    with   small   cord      Th« 
point,  of  their  arrows  were  of  bone,  flint,  or  iron,  and 
their  Hpears  headed  with   the  same  materials.     Their 
dross  was  similar  to  that  of  the  other  tribes  on  tho 
coast.     It  consisted  of  a  shirt,  which  reached  half-wav 
down  the  thigh,  with  long  sleeves,  and  a  hood  of  rein- 
deer-skin,  and  edged  with  gray  or  white  fox  fur.     B«. 
Bides  th.s  they  had  a  jacket  of  eider-drake  skins  sewed 
together,  which,  whei.  engaged  in  war,  they  wore  below 
their  other  dress,  reckoning  it  a  tolerably  efficient  pro- 
tection   against  an  arrow  or  a   spear-thrust.     In   wet 
weather  they  threw  over  the  fur  dress  a  shirt  made  of 
the  entrails  of  the  whale,  which,  being  well  saturated 
with  oil  and  grease,  was  water-tight ;  and  they  al8o  used 
breeches  of  deer's  hide,  and   seal-skin   boots,  to  the 
upper  end  of  which  were   fixed   strings  of  sea-horse 
hide      It  was  their  fashion  to  tie  one  of  these  striuga 
round  the  waist,  and  attach  to  it  a  long  tuft  of  hair   the 
wing  of  a  bird,  or,  sometimes,  a  fox's  tail,  which,  'dan- 
ghng  behind  as  they  walked,  gave  them  a  ridiculous 
appearance,   and   may   probably   have   occasioned   tho 
report  of  tho  Tschuktschi  recorded  in  MuUer.  that  the 
people  ol  this  country  have  tails  like  dogs. 

On  the  22d  of  July  the  ship  anchored  in  Kotzebue'a 
bound,  and,  after  exploring  a  deep  inlet  on  its  northern 
Bhore,  which  they  named  Ilotham  Inlet,  proceeded  to 
Chamisso  Island,  where  the  Blossom  was  to  await 
l-ranklin.  A  discretionary  power  had,  however,  been 
permitted  to  Beechey.  of  employing  the  period  of  his 
Btay  in  surveying  the  coast,  provided  this  cculd  be  done 
without  the  risk  of  missing  Franklin.  Having,  accord 
uigly,  dire-.ted  the  barge  to  keep  in-shore  on  the  look, 
out  for  the  land  party,  he  sailed  to  the  northward,  and 
doubhrg  Cape  Kruseustern,  completed  an  examination 


154 


BEECIIEY'S  EXPEDITION. 


of  the  coast  by  Ciipo  Tliomson,  Point  Hope,  Capo  Lis- 
burn,  Capo  Boanfort,  and  ley  Capo.  Aa  there  were 
hero  strung'  indications  of  the  ice  closing  in,  and  his 
instructions  were  positive  to  Iteop  in  open  water,  if  pos- 
nibio,  ho  determined  to  return  to  ivotzebue'a  Sound, 
whilst  he  ilospatched  the  barge,  under  his  lieutenants, 
to  trace  the  coast  to  the  north-eastward,  as  far  as  they 
could  navigate. 

On  this  service  the  barge  set  out,  on  the  ITth  of 
August.  She  proceeded  along  the  coast,  and  surveyed 
one  hundred  and  twenty-six  miles  of  new  shore,  until 
stopped  by  a  long,  low,  projecting  tongue  of  land,  to 
which  the  name  of  Point  Barrov/was  given,  but  without 
meeting  or  hearing  any  tidings  of  the  expected  overland 
party  ;  though  it  was  afterwards  ascertained  that 
Point  Barrow  was  distant  oidy  one  hundred  and  forty- 
six  miles  from  the  extreme  point  reached  by  Fraidvlin. 

In  the  mean  time  Beechey  returned  with  the  Blossom 
to  Kotzebue's  Sound.  There  she  remained  at  the  an- 
chorage till  October,  when  it  became  necessary  to 
depart,  to  prevent  her  being  frozen  in  for  the  winter ; 
and,  after  a  cruise  in  the  Pacific,  she  shaped  her  course 
once  more  for  the  rendezvous  atChamisso  Island.  Dur- 
ing the  voyage  to  that  point,  where  they  arrived  August 
27th,  1827,  Beechey  and  his  men  had  repeated  inter- 
views with  the  Esquimaux,  whose  habits  and  disposi- 
tion were  in  no  respect  different  from  those  of  the 
natives  already  described.  They  found  them  uniforndy 
friendly,  sociable,  devotedly  fond  of  tobacco,  eager  to 
engage  in  traiBc,  and,  upon  the  whole,  honest,  though 
disposed  to  drive  a  hard  bargain.  On  some  occasions 
they  attempted  to  impose  upon  their  customers,  by 
skins  artfully  put  together,  so  as  to  represent  an  entire 
fish  ;  but  it  was  difficult  to  determine  whether  they 
intended  a  serious  fraud  or  only  a  piece  of  humor,  foi 


[155  J 


m^^^ 


FRANKLIN'S  SECOND  LAND   EXl'DDITION.         16? 

thoy  liiuphod  heartily  when  dotectod,  and  appeared  to 
connider  it  a  good  jol<o.  Their  persouH,  houses,  and 
cookery,  were  all  exceedingly  dirty,  and  their  mode  of 
ealutation  was  by  a  mutual  contact  of  noses  ;  sometimea 
licking  their  hands,  and  stroking  first  their  own  faces, 
and  afterwards  those  of  the  strangers. 

The  weather  proved  unfavorable  for  further  operations ; 
there  was  very  little  open  sea ;  and,  in  endeavoring  to 
push  alor,j,.  the  shore,  the  barge  was  wrecked,  and  sev- 
eral  of  her  crew  drowned  ;  and  on  the  6th  of  October 
Beechoy  was  obliged  to  abandon  further  exploration, 
grieved  and  disappointed  that  he  had  not  the  satisfac- 
tion of  bearing  with  him  the  adventurous  party  whom 
ae  had  been  sent  especially  to  meet.  Ho  arrived  in 
England  October  12.  1828,  having  been  absent  on  bis 
voyage  three  years  and  a  half. 

The  party  under  Franklin  comprised  the  third  of  the 
expeditions  to  which  we  have  referred.     In  1824,  Frank- 
lin,  undeterred  by  the  recollection  of  the  fearful  hard- 
Bhips  endured  in  his  former  overland  journey,  proposed 
a  second,  which,  descending  the    Mackenzie  River  to 
the  sea,  should  there  divide  its  force  ;  and,  while  one 
party  explored  the  coast  easterly  to  the  Coppermine, 
the  other  should  make  its  way  westerly  to  Icy  Cape,' 
or,  if  possible,  Behring's  Strait.     The  project  was  duly 
sanctioned,  and  every  preparation  made  to  in  -ure  suc- 
cess, by  building  boats,  providing  scientific  in^iruments, 
and    supplying    abundant    provisions.     Besides   three 
strong  and    light   boats,    better   suited   to   navigation 
among    ice   than  bark  canoes,  a  smaller  one,  coveted 
with  Mad- ■iitosh's    prepared    canvas,   weighing    o  uy 
eighty-fiv(     pounds,  and  named  "  The  Walnut  Shell  " 
was  constructed  for  the  purpose  of  crossing  rivers. 

In  the  preparations  nothing  appears   to   have   been 
omitted.     Scientific  instruments  of  all  kinds,  fowling- 


:.   !| 


158 


FRANKLIN'S  SECOND   LAND   liXl'EDITION. 


1 

pieces  and  iiminunitioii,  marquoos  aiid  tciitH,  bedding, 
clothing,  and  wiiter-proof  dresses,  flour,  urrow-ront, 
maccaroui,  portable  soup,  ohocolato,  essence  of  cofTeo, 
sugar,  and  tea,  not  omitting  an  .'idequato  supply  of  that 
essential  article  for  all  North  American  travellers, 
pemmiaan,  —  were  supplied. 

The  ollicers  under  Franklin's  orders  were  his  old  and 
tried  companions  and  lellow-suflerors  in  the  former 
journey,  Dr.  Richardson  and  Lieut.  Uafk,  with  Mr. 
Kendall,  a  mate  in  the  navy,  and  Mr.  T.  Druinmond,  a 
naturalist.  Four  boats,  si)ecially  prepared  for  the  pur- 
poses of  the  expedition,  were  sent  out  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company's  ship.  In  July,  1825,  the  party  arrived 
at  Fort  Chipcvvyan.  They  reached  Great  Bear  Lake  in 
safety,  and  erected  a  winter  dwelling  on  its  western 
shore,  to  which  the  name  of  Fort  Franklin  was  given. 
To  Back  and  Mr.  Deaso,  an  ofScer  in  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company's  service,  were  intrusted  the  arrangements  for 
their  winter  quarters. 

From  here  a  small  party  sot  out  with  Franklin  down 
the  Mackenzie  to  examine  the  state  of  the  Polar 
Sea.  The  si.xth  day  after  their  departure  they  passed 
the  last  of  the  fir-trccs,  in  latitude  68°  40',  these  being 
succeeded  by  stunted  willows,  which  became  more 
dwarfish  as  they  approached  tlio  sea.  After  the  dis- 
sipation of  a  thick  fog,  the  expanse  of  water  to  the 
northward  was  so  great,  that  Franklin  was  inclined  to 
think  they  had  reached  the  sea  ;  and  in  this  he  was 
almost  confirmed  on  reaching  the  sliore  of  Ellice  Island, 
where  they  "  were  rejoiced  at  the  sea-like  appearance 
to  the  northward."  "  This  point  was  observed  to  be  in 
latitude  69°  It',  longitude  135°  57',  and  forms  the  north- 
eastern entrance  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Mackenzie 
River,  which  from  Slave  Lake  to  this  point  is  one  thou- 
sand and  forty-five  miles,  according  to  our  survey."  On 


FRANKLINS  SKCOND   LAND  EXPEDITION.         1S9 

reucl.ing  Ourr.v  Island,  they  «8conclo(l  the  summit,  and 
from  It  "  tho  ncu  appoaro-l  it.  all  its  majesty,  entirely 
frtv  from  ico.  and  without  any  vJHiblo  obHtruction  to  its 
navigation,  and  never  was  a  pioBpoct  moro  gratifying 
than  that  which  lay  open  to  uh." 

Franklin    had   loft    Kngrland    under  affecting  circum- 
BtancoH.     His  first  wife,  who  was   then   lying  at   the 
point  of  death,  with  heroic  fortitude  urged  his  depart- 
ure  at  the   very  day  appointed,  entreating  him,  as  he 
valued  her  peace  of  mind  and   his  own  glory,  not  to 
delay  a  moment  on  her  account ;  that  she  was  fully 
aware  that  her  days  were  numbered,  and  that  his  delay 
even  if  she  wished  it,  could  only  be  to  ci-.se  her  eyes' 
She  died  the  day  after  ho  left  her.     His  feelings  may  be 
inferred,  but  not  described,  when  ho  had  to  elevate  on 
Garry  Island  a  silk  flag  which  she  had  made  and  given 
hrni  as  a  parting  gift,  with  the  instruction  that  he  was 
to  hoist  it  only  on  reaching  the  Polar  Sea. 

On  the  8th  of  September,  Franklin  and  his  party  got 
back  to  their  companions  on  Groat  Bear  Lake,  and  pre- 
pared  to  pass  the  long  winter  of  seven  or  eight  months 
On  5th  October  the  last  swan  had  passed  to  the  south- 
ward, and  on  the  llth  the  last  brown  duck  was  noticed. 
On  f)tli  M  ijr  the  first  swan  was  seen,  and  on  the  8th  tho 
brown  ducks  reappeared  on  the  lake.  The  mosses  began 
to  sprout,  and  various  singing-birds  and  orioles,  along 
with  some  swifts  and  white  geese,  arrived  soon  after 

It  IS  irmarked  by  Dr.  Richardson  that  the  singing, 
b.rds,  which  were  silent  on  the  banks  of  the  Bear  Lak. 
diiring  tho  day,  serenaded  their  mates  at  midnight ;  at 
which  time,  however,  it  was  quite  light.  On  20th 
May  the  little  ecream  which  flowed  past  the  fort  burst 
Its  icy  chains,  and  the  laughing  geese  arrived,  to  give 
renewo.l  cheerfulness  to  the  lake.  Soon  after  this  the 
winter  gieon  began  to  push  forth  its  flowers  ;  and  under 


■y*jy^ 


M':""""f*»' 


I 


160 


FRANKLIN'S  SECOND  LAND  EXPEDITION. 


the  increasing  warmth  of  the  sun's  rays  the  whole  face  ol 
nature  underwent  a  delightful  change.  The  snow  grad- 
ually  molted,  the  ice  broke  up  from  the  shores  of  the 
lake,  the  northern  sky  became  red  and  luminous  at  mid- 
uight,  the  dwarf-birch  and  willows  expanded  their  leaves, 
and  by  the  3d  June  the  anemones,  the  tusyilago,  tho 
Lapland  rose,  and  other  early  plants,  were  in  full  Hower. 

On  thc(  28th  Juno  they  embarked  upon  the  Mackenzie  ; 
on  the  4th  July  they  reached  that  part  whore  tho  river 
divides  into  various  channels,  and  the  two  parties  were 
to  pursue  difl'erent  directions.  The  western  branch  was 
the  route  to  be  pursued  by  the  boats  of  Franklin's  party, 
and  the  eastern  branch  by  those  of  Richardson  :  the 
former  to  proceed  along  the  northern  coast  westerly 
as  far  as  Icy  Cape,  whore  it  was  expected  to  fall  in 
with  tho  Blossom  ;  the  latter  to  examine  the  coast-lino 
between  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  and  ti.at  of  tho 
Coppermine. 

The  parties  now  separated.  On  reaching  tlie  mouth 
of  the  Mackenzie,  the  western  expedition  came  in  con 
tact  with  the  Esquimaux.  PVanklin  proceeded  to  open 
a  communication  with  them.  At  first  everything  pro- 
ceeded in  a  friendly  nuinner.  Augustus,  after  deliver- 
ing a  present,  informed  them  that  if  the  English  suc- 
ceeded in  finding  a  navigable  channel  for  large  ships,  an 
advantageous  trade  would  be  opened.  This  intimation 
was  received  with  a  deafening  shout;  the  boats  were 
in  a  moment  surrounded  by  nearly  three  hundred  per- 
sons, oflering  for  sale  their  bows,  arrows,  and  spears, 
with  a  violence  and  perseverance  which  became  at  last 
troublesome,  and  Franklin  directed  the  boats  to  be  put 
to  seaward. 

At  this  moment  a  kayak  was  upset  by  one  of  the  oars 
of  tho  Lion,  and  its  unhappy  possessor  was  stuck  by 
the  accident  with  his  head  in  the  mud,  and  his  heel«  in 


FRANKLIN'S  SECOND  LAND  EXPEDITION.         161 

.ho  air.     He  wa«  instantly  extricated,  wrapt  in  a  warm 

^rcat  po.^t.  and  placed  in  the  boat ;  where,  though  at 

•Ks.  frightened  and  angry,  he  soon  became  reconciled  to 

his  situation,  and,  looking  about,  discovered  many  bales 

and  other  articles  which  had  hitherto  been  carefully  con- 

cealed      II.s  first  impulse  was  to  ask  for  e^  erything  he 

saw  ;  h,s  next,  to  be  indignant  that  his  requests  were  not 

granted  ;  and,  on  joining  his  companions,  he  proposed  a 

p  an  for  a  general  attack  and  pillage  of  both  the  boats 

1  his  scheme  was  immediately  carried  into  execution; 

and,  though  the  plunderers  at  first  afiected  to  be  partly 

m  sport,  matters  soon  assumed  a  serious  complexion. 

Two  of  the  most   powerful    men,  leaping  on  board, 
seized  Captain  Franklin,  forced  him  to  sit  between  them 
and  when  he  shook  them  off,  a  third  took  his  station  in 
rout  to  catch  his  arm  whenever  he  attempted  to  raise 
his  gun.  or  lay  his  hand  on  the  broad  dagger  which 
iHHig  by  his  side.     During  this  assault  the  two  boat, 
were  violently  dragged  to  the  shore,  and  a  numeroua 
party,  stripping  to  the  waist  and  brandishing  their  long 
sharp  knives,  ran  to  the  Reliance,  and  commenced  a  reg- 
"l^tr  pillage,  handing  the  articles  to  the  women,  who 
ranged  in  a  row  behind,  quickly  conveyed  them  out  of 
sight.     ^0  sooner  was  the  bow  cleared  of  one  set  of 
marauders,  than  another  party  commenced  their  opera- 
tions at  the  stern.     The  crew  in  the  Lion  were  nearly 
overpowered,  and  their  commander  disarmed,  when  all 
at  once  the  natives  took  to  their  heels,  an!  concealed 
hemselves  behind  the  drift  timber  and  canoes  on  the 
^oach.     Ihis  sudden  panic  was  occasioned  by  Captain 
Back   whose  boat  at  this  time  had  been  got  afloat,  com- 
mandmg  h,s  crew  to  level  their  muskets.      The  Lion 
uipp.Iy  floated  soon  after  ;  and  as  both  boats  pulled  off, 
t.anklui  desired  Augustus  to  inform  the  Esquimaux  that 

II 


162 


FRANKLIN'S  SECOND  LAND   EXPEDITION. 


he  would  shoot  the  first  man  who  ventured  to  approach 
within  musket-ranp-e. 

An  amicable  leave  was,  however,  iftcrwards  takcii 
of  these  people,  and  on  the  13th  of  Jaly  Franklin  put 
to  aea  On  the  27th  he  came  to  the  mouth  of  a  wide 
river,  to  which,  as  it  proceeded  from  the  British  raiif^e 
of  mountains,  and  was  near  the  line  of  demarkation 
between  Great  Britain  and  Russia,  Franklin  gave  the 
name  of  Clarence.  They  were  now  in  lat.  70'  6',  Ioti;?. 
1*3"  55'.  The  further  they  advanced  westerly  the  more 
dense  became  the  fogs  :  the  temperature  descended  to 
35",  and  the  gales  of  wind  became  more  constant;  at 
night  the  water  froze  ;  and,  the  middle  of  August  having 
arrived,  the  winter  might  here  be  said  to  have  set  in  ; 
the  more  early,  probably,  from  the  vicinity  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  the  extensive  swampy  plains  between 
them  and  the  sea.  The  men  had  suffered  much,  and  on 
tkc  I8th  Franklin  set  out  on  liis  return  to  the  Macken- 
zie, from  the  extreme  point  gained,  named  by  him  the 
Return  Reef,  in  lat.  70°  24'  N.,  long.  149°  37'  W. 

About  this  time,  as  it  afterward  appeared,  the  Blos- 
som's boat,  sent  by  Beechey  from  Behring'a  Strait, 
arrived  on  the  coast,  on  which  Franklin  observes : 
"  Could  I  have  known,  or  by  possibility  imagined,  that 
a  party  from  the  Blossom  had  been  at  the  distance 
of  oidy  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  from  me,  no  dilfi- 
cnlties,  dangers,  or  discouraging  circumstances,  should 
have  prcvaih.'d  on  me  to  return  ;  but,  taking  into  account 
the  uticertainty  of  all  voyages  in  a  sea  obstructed  by 
ice,  1  had  no  right  to  expect  that  the  Blossom  hai) 
advanced  beyond  Knt7;ebue  Inlet,  or  that  any  p.irty 
from  her  liad  doubled  the  ley  Cape." 

Franklin  states  the  f.istance  traced  westerly  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  Kiver  to  have  been  three 
hundred  and  seventy-four  miles,  along  one  of  the  most 


FRANKLIN'S  SECOND   LAND    EXPEDITION.  m 

'iie   'C  Z7ZT:  '""•""■"'  ""^  '■'"■'^-s"' 

amVed  on  the  l.t  ,7=^, ',  ""f  ™"''"  deUchmont  had 
v,,v,.ge.  '"<'fi"=P«™l'".  after  a  most  .uoccssfnl 

fh  "tttr'^j;:? "»"  ^.«™  «™-"y  f»™-^  wuh 

to  .ako     ho U„r°    ZrT"  "  "°™  ~"'P°"^-''  'I'"- 
&iitiii.i   111  Keluffe  Cove    in  lit    «oo  on-      ■  .  . 

they  left  the  f„IWi„„  jV    At  th      ;  u°      :  "■'"'* 
'I-  13tl,  J„,y,  „,„  doftor  says         M   '•"''"?'''"'  "" 

r'l,,..^..  . ,  P  '"* '  '^"'1  "^e  saw  swiiis 

»ve,.aigh::r;,":'ii''  ^' ''""°'  -"  ™'f <i«'k« ^ 

.'inil    ivory  gulls,  to- 

g-cdicr    witli     terns 

iiiid  iiortliern  divers. 

.Sijinel;uig-iiing-g(.ege 

passed  1;)  (ho  north- 
ward in  the  evening, 
which  nijiy  be  con- 
sidered as  a  sure  in- 
dication of  land  in 
tiiat  direction."  On 
the   Uth    the  party 

c:nedt!::;z:''- .t^ir'i'  ;::t^  ««'°  ■•- » <- 

W.-f.  '      '''^""•'«  ^0  '  longitude  130»  19' 

^V.ths..n,e  interruptions,  their  sail  of  five  hundred 


EIDKU    DICK. 


% 


161 


FRANKLIN'S  SECOND   LAND  EXPEDmON. 


miles,  nr  nine  hundrod  and  two  by  tho  coast-lino,  from 
one  river  to  anetlier,  atlbrdcd  a  pleasant  voyage,  during 
which  they  added  somewhat  to  the  stores  of  natural 
history,  botany,  and  geology. 

A  second  v/inter  passed  at  the  fort.  Tiie  cold  was 
intense,  the  thermometer  at  one  time  standing  at  58° 
below  zero  :  but  such  a  temperature  even  as  this  may 
be  defied,  with  a  weather-tight  dwelling,  plenty  of  pro- 
visions, and  congenial  companions.  A  scries  of  mag- 
netic observations  was  commnnced  ;  and,  as  the  locality 
lay  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  magnetic  pole  to  that 
along  which  Parry  had  sailed  in  his  voyages,  some 
interesting  results  were  arrived  at.  "  It  appears,"  says 
Franklin,  "that  for  the  same  nionths,  at  the  interval  nf 
only  one  year,  Captain  Parry  and  myself  were  7'jaking 
hourly  observations  on  two  needles,  the  north  ends  of 
which  pointed  almost  directly  towards  each  otiier, 
though  our  actual  distance  did  not  exceed  eight  hun- 
dred and  fifty-fivo  geographical  miles  ;  and  while  the 
needle  of  Port  Bowen  was  increasing  its  westerly  direc- 
tion, ours  was  increasing  its  easterly,  and  the  contrary 
—  the  variation  being  west  at  Port  Bowen,  and  east  at 
Fort  Franklin  — a  beautiful  and  satisflietory  proof  of 
the  solar  influence  on  the  daily  variation." 

In  addition  to  magnetism,  observations  of  the  aurora 
boreaiis  were  also  recorded,  and  the  fact  established 
that  no  disturbance  of  tho  needle  (in  thatloc  ''ty,  at 
least)  takes  place  during  the  play  of  the  phenomenon. 
A  course  of  lectures,  too,  on  practical  geology,  was  de- 
livered by  Richardson  —  an  eminently  useful  subject  in 
a  new  district.  And,  as  an  instance  of  what  a  love  for 
science  may  accomplish,  when  animatetl  by  a  perse- 
vering and  self-reliant  spirit,  we  must  not  umit  to  men- 
tion Mr.  Drummond,  one  of  the  party,  who  passed  the 
winter  alone  at  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  a 


FR-WKLLN-a  SECOND  LAND   EXPEDITIO?^.  105 

^oiall  hut  erected  by  himself,  where  he  collected  filh-oa 
Hundred  .pecnens  of  plants,  and  two  hundred  birdfan 
quadrupeds,  besides  insects.     These,  thoug-h  poi    a  of 
n  nor  .nterest   when  compared  with  the  .^and  obj  ct 

d    ,  I.:?'  ?"""'  """'  "---t'-'-^  to  connect  the 
nd,.,d  als   whose    names    they    distinguish,   by  many 
-R.  01   sympathy  and  esteem,  with  uLbtrusiveZ^ 
Bands  who  can  adn.ire  where  they  cann.t  inutate 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

•COBEfcBT'H     DI9C0VEBIES.  —  CLAVEBINQ.  —  I'ARUY's     POI-AB     VOTAOK. 
THB    BEINDEER.  —  UBCLA    «OVK.  —  BOAT    AND     SLEDOB     EXPEDITION.  - 
HIOHT  TrtAVELL.NO.  —  HnMM'<  hS.  —  SOFTENING  OF  THB  ICE.  —  DBlPll.'^ll 
OK   THE    V/OES.  — HIUUEST   PlUNT   BEACHED. —TUB   POLAB    BEAR.—  KK 
TURN  TO  THE  SHIP.  — HOMBW/.UD  BOUND. 

While  Parry,  under  the  auspices  of  the  British  gov- 
ernmetit,  was  e(ig;uj,-ed  in  hi^  second  attempt  to  effect 
tlie  north-west  passage,  a  private  adventurer,  Mr. 
Scoresby,  was  making  a  voyage  towards  the  north 
pole,  Avhich  must  not  be  passed  without  notice.  As 
early  -vs  1806,  this  gentleman,  who  was  bred  a  practical 
wha!'-  nan,  I  ;id,  in  the  pursuit  of  his  calling,  penetrated 
i,  la^.iurc  :i"  30',  being  a  degree  higher  than  Phipps 
had  '  ..led,  and  only  five  hundred  gci)graphi.;al  iriles 
from  the  pole.  In  1817  he  also  made  an  excursion  on 
Jan  Mayen's  Island.  He  had,  on  both  occas-ons, 
made  observations  and  explorations  with  an  intelligent 
ami  scientific  eye,  very  unusual  among  those  who  pur- 
sue a  calling  so  rough  and  daiigenuis  as  whaling. 

At]Mitre  Cape  he  ascended  to  the  summit  of  the  sin- 
gular cliff  of  which  it  consists,  and  which  is  estimated 
to  be  three  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ocean. 
The  view  is  described  as  sublime:  on  the  east  wero 
two  finely-sheltered  bays  :  the  sea  formed  an  immenso 
unruffled  expanse  to  the  west,  the  icebergs  rearing  their 
fantastic  forma,  glittering  in  the  sunshine  ;  the  valleys 


■ 


WI1.I>    1)1  ,K. 


SCORKSBY'S  DISCOVERIES.  igy 

v^ore  oamollcd  with  bods  of  snow  and  ice,  and  in  the 
intonor  niountair.s  rose  beyond  i^.o.u.tainH,  till  they 
-n.'Itcd  m  tno  distant  horzou.     1.,c  boach  of  this  capo 

was  found  nearly 
covered  with  the 
nests    of    terns, 
ducks,  and  other 
tenants    of     tho 
Arctic    air,       in 
some    of    which 
were  young,  over 
whom     the     pa- 
rents Itept  watch, 
and,  by  loud  cries 
and  quick,  vehc- 

which  hovered  round.  ^ 

were"  in'is-"'  ;"'P"''^^"t.;"--«"os  made  by  Scoresby 
vere  ,n  182..  when  ho  sailed  in  the  ship  Baffin,  of  three 
^u^c^andt^n^^^^^^^^ 

vt  led   t^^  '  h         T      "'  '  '""'"  fi«l"-ng-ffround,  he 
was  led   to    he  eastern  coast  of  Greenland -a  tract 

^^.  uo^unknow,.  unless  at  a. .w  points  which  ^^ 
ut  1    had  approached  ;  and  it  for-acd  a.  continuous  line 

^;::S:n:r"^' ^"''^••^^-"^-- -'pp-1  to  hav^ 

On  the  8th  of  June,  in  W  6'  north  latitude,  the  coast 
was  dKscoverod,  extending  fn.n.  north  to  south  abo^ 
-oty  m  es;  and  of  which   tho   n.ost  northeri;  po 
H.  s  concluded  to  be  that  named  on  the  charts  G^t 
lamkos  s  I  and,  while  d.e  most  southerly  appeared  to 
0   nudson's    Ilold-with-IIope.      ScoresbVe'Sltl 
how,,  er.  to  mount  some  of  Us  crags,  which  no  European 


f 


*ll 


IG8 


SCORESllVS   DISC0VK1UE3. 


foot  had  evor  trodden,  was  defeated  by  an  impassable 
barrier  of  fee  ;  and  a  aimilai  one  having  closed  in  behind 
him,  he  was  obliged  tj  sail  back  and  forward  several 
days  through  a  narrow  channel.  During  this  interval 
lie  had  a  good  opportunity  of  taking  the  bearings  tiiul 
directions  of  the  principal  objects  on  land.  The  lati- 
tude, as  given  in  the  maps,  was  tolerably  coirect,  and 
was,  indeed,  his  only  guide  in  tracing  the  positions; 
for  the  longitude,  after  the  most  careful  observation, 
was  found  to  differ  seven  degrees  from  that  in  the  best 
charts,  and  ten  degrees  from  what  is  found  in  those 
usually  supplied  to  the  whale-fishers.  The  country  was 
generally  mountainous,  rugged,  and  barren,  bearing 
much  resemblance  to  Spitzbergcu,  though  less  covered 
with  snow. 

Scoresby  followed  the  usual  system  of  naming  the 
more  prominent  objects  in  the  territeiy  embraced  by  his 
discoveries.  The  two  principal  bays,  or  inlets,  were 
designated  Captain  Kater  and  Sir  Walter  Scott ;  while 
two  spacious  forelands,  or  projecting  peninsulas  —  the 
former  supposed  to  be  an  island  —  were  assigned  to 
Dr.  WoUasLon  and  Sir  Everard  Home.  Otlicr  bays  and 
capes  were  bestowed  on  some  of  the  author's  personal 
friends.  lie  now  made  a  movement  eastward,  in  search 
of  whales,  of  which  he  found  no  traces  in  the  vicinity  of 
land. 

On  the  19th  of  July  the  navigators  came  in  view  of  a 
range  of  coast  of  a  very  bold  and  peculiar  character, 
extending  about  forty  miles.  It  presented  a  mountain 
chain  from  three  to  four  thousand  feet  high,  rising  at 
once  from  the  beach  in  precipitous  cliffs,  which  termi- 
nated in  numberless  peaks,  cones,  and  pyramids.  In 
one  instance  there  appeared  to  rise  six  or  seven  tall 
parallel  chimneys,  one  of  which,  crowned  wilh  two  ver- 
tical towers,   was  called  Church    Mount.     This  coast 


SCORESBY'S  DISCOVERIEa  l(jy 

received  the  name  of  Liverpool,  while  to  the  mountain, 
wa.  ff,ve„  that  of  Roscoe.     The  range  of  shore  temi 
nated  at  Cape  Hodgson  ;  beyond  whicl  however.    tC 
ng  south-west,  they  descried  three  other  promonloies  • 

listtrr^'V"'''''"*-'^^"^"  «-  appellation  of  Capi 
Lister,  Cape  Swainsoii,  and  Cape  Tobin 

Here  Scoresby  landed  ;  when  he  found  the  beach 
much  lower  than  that  further  to  the  north,  and  consist! 
'ng,  m  a  great  measure,  of  loose,  stony  hills.  After 
Home  examination,  he  came,  near  Cape  Swainson,  to  an 
enclosure  similar  to  those  which  the  Esquimaux  con! 
struct  for  their  eummer  huts,  and  within  which  were 
hc.llow  structures,  like  bee  hives,  such  as  they  use  for 

Resuming  his  course  at  sea,  and  still  holding  south 
westward,  he  now  discovered  a  spacious  inlet,  to  which 
in  looking  upwards,  no  boundary  could  be  seen       While 
penetrating  this  opening,  he   observed   another   sound 
branching  to  the  northward  behind  the  Liverpool  coast 
and  supposed  to  form  it  into  an  island.     The  opposite 
Bhore  of  this  entrance  was  named  Jameson's  Land,  from 
he  eminent  professor  of  natural  history  in  Edinburgh 
«eyond  Cape  Hooker,  the  southern  point  of  the  coast 
just  described,  another  large  inlet  stretched  towards  the 
north,  to  which  was  given   the  name  of  Basil  Hall      It 
had  every  appearance  of  converting  Jameson's  Land 
into  an  island;    and  the  coast  to  the  westward  of  it 
received  the  name  of  Milne's   Land.     Between    Cape 
Leslie,  constituting  the  northern  point  of  that  coast 
and  Cape  Stevenson,  on  the  opposite  shore,  the  original 
opening  continued  to  stretch  into  the  interior,  without 
any  appearance  of  a  termination.     There   appeared  a 
Btrong  presumption  that,  instead  of  the  continuous  masB 
ot  land  which  our  maps  represent,  Greenland  composea 
only  an  immense  archipelago  of  islands      To  this  great 


j^^' 


Y^ 


V  :! 


170 


SCORESBVa  DISCOVERIES. 


inlot,  the  ontrarice  of  which  was  boumlcd  by  Cupo  Tobin 
im  the  north,  and  Cape  Brewster  on  the  Boutli,  tlio  iiav 
igator  gave  the  name  of  his  father,  though  posterity  will 
prnliahly  l)0  apt  to  associate  witli  himself  the  name  of 
"  Scorcsby's  Sound." 

Tiiese  coasts,  especially  that  of  Jameson's  Land,  were 
found  richer  in  plants  and  verdure  than  any  others  seen 
on  this  occasion  within  th<;  Arctic  circle,  and  almost 
meriting  the  distinction  of  Greeidand.  The  grass  rose 
in  one  place  to  a  foot  in  height,  and  there  were  mead- 
ows of  several  acres,  which  appeared  nearly  equal  to 
any  in  England.  But  nowhere  could  a  human  being  bo 
discovered,  though  there  were  everywhere  traces  of 
recent  and  even  frequent  inhabitation.  At  the  foot  of 
certain  clifls,  named  after  Dr.  Noill,  were  several  ham- 
lets '>f  some  extent.  The  huts  appear  to  have  been 
winter  abodes,  not  rc.istructed  of  snow-slabs,  like  the 
cells  of  the  Esquimaux  of  Hudson's  Bay,  but  resembling 
those  of  the  Greenlanders,  dug  deep  in  the  ground, 
entered  l)y  a  long  winding  passage  or  funnel,  and  roofed 
with  a  wooden  frame  overlaid  with  moss  and  earth. 
The  mansion  had  thus  the  appearance  of  a  slight  hillock. 
Near  the  hamlets  were  excavations  in  the  earth,  serving 
as  graves,  where  implements  of  hunting,  found  along 
with  the  bones  of  the  deceased,  proved  the  prevalence 
here  of  the  general  belief  of  savage  nations,  that  the 
employments  of  man  in  the  future  life  will  exactly 
resemble  those  of  the  present. 

On  emerging  from  this  largo  sound,  and  proceeding 
southward,  Scoresby  discovered  another  continuous 
range  of  coast. 

Disappointed  as  to  any  appearance  of  whales  on  this 
coast,  he  again  steered  to  the  northward,  where  ice- 
bergs surrounded  him,  amounting  at  one  place  to  the 
number  of  five  hundred.     This  course  brought  him  iu  a 


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SCOKESBY'S  DISCOVERIES.  173 

between  thcTwaT  a  '.  °"'"^  ■"■"■■'">  i  ""J 

Humphrey  Drvyn„  ,    f  Z'"""'"'  '"''='■  "™<'1  Sir 

the...e^e.«„.,/;„:::s„:;;:r-::t-';f4.'.'. 

Scoresby  afterwardB  approached  more  closeT!7r 
n.ng  Island,  and  penetrated  a  acund  between  [and  .1°' 
">a,„    connected  apparently  with  Hurrywlt     n 
would  have  been  happy  to  examine  more  of  the  G„ 

the  ship  was  not  his  own,  and  his  dutv  to  ht  ' 

Soi'rwit',:  rh  t-  --' -*-^^^^^^ 

sen  being  t  alrrd   Ir"'"""""""  '  «'^'  «'«  »»»■ 

-%ed  f„  -ur:;:rats -^:"tt"„n":"f 

MP  -^mefet  ""■""""'  ""*'  appLed  :■„ 
*  '  °'"""'  "^  "0"  ««™k.  and  three  taken,  which 


174 


CLAVERINO. 


at  once  rendered  the  ship  full-fished,  and  placed  him 
among  the  most  successful  adventurers  of  the  year. 
He  could,  therefore,  return  with  satisfactory  feelings ; 
and  the  pleasure  of  the  voyage  homeward  was  only 
alloyed  by  the  occurrence  of  a  violent  storm  off  Lewis, 
in  which  Sam  Cliambers,  one  of  the  most  esteemed  and 
active  of  his  crew,  was  washed  overboard. 

To  these  discoveries  some  additions  were  made  next 
year  by  Captain  Clavcring,  who  was  employed  by  the 
BrUish  Admiralty  to  convey  Captain  Sabine  to  different 
stations  in  the  Arctic  Sea,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
observations  on  the  comparative  length  of  the  pendu- 
lum, as  affected  by  tlie  principle  of  attraction. 

Clavcring  sailed  on  the  3d  of  May,  1823,  and  on  the 
2d  of  June  arrived  atllammorfest,  in  Norway,  where  he 
landed  the  philosopher  with  his  tents  and  instruments. 
The  observations  being  completed,  ho  weighed  anchor 
on  the  23d,  reached  the  northern  coast  of  Si)itzbergen, 
and  fixed  on  a  small  island  between  Vogel  Sang  and 
Cloven  Cliff  for  further  operations. 

lie  left  this  coast  on  the  22d  of  July,  and  steered  for 
the  eastern  shores  of  Greeidand,  of  which  he  came  in 
view  on  the  5th  of  August.  The  scene  appeared  the 
most  desolate  he  had  ever  beheld.  Tlie  mountains  rose 
to  the  height  of  several  thousand  feet,  without  a  vestigo 
of  vegetation,  or  tlie  appearance  of  any  li'-'-ig  cieature 
on  the  earth  or  in  the  air.  Even  the  dree  y  waste  of 
Spitzbergen  appeared  a  paradise  to  this.  He  landed 
his  passenger  and  the  scientific  apparatus  on  two  islands 
detached  from  the  eastern  shore  of  the  continent,  which 
he  called  the  Pendulum  Islands,  and  of  which  the  out- 
ermost point  is  marked  by  a  bold  headlard  rising  to  the 
height  of  three  thousand  feet. 

Wliile  Sabine  was  employed  in  his  peculiar  researolies, 
the  other  surveyed  a  part  of  the  coast  which  lay  to  the 


CLAVERING 


175 


noi  tliward,  beinjj  the  first  which  Scoresby  saw.  It  lay 
at  some  distance,  with  an  icy  barrier  interposed  ;  but 
was  found  indented  with  deep  and  spacious  bays,  sus- 
pcctod  even  to  penetrate  so  for  as  to  convert  all  this 
range  of  coast  into  a  cluster  of  ishmds.  The  inlet 
whicii  the  former  navigator  had  assigned  to  Sir  Walter 
Scott  was  believed  by  Clavering  to  be  that  discovered 
by  the  Dutch  mariner,  Gale  Ilamkes  ;  but  we  have  not 
ventured  to  remove  this  last  from  the  more  northerly 
position  preferred  by  the  scientific  whaler.  Other 
openings,  which  occurred  in  proceeding  towards  the 
north,  were  named  by  the  captain  Foster's  Bay,  Ardin- 
caple,  and  Roseneath  Inlets  ;  and  he  saw  bold  and  high 
land  still  stretching  in  this  direction  as  far  as  the 
seventy-sixth  degree  of  latitude. 

In  regard  to  the  natives  this  commander  ^va8  more 
fortunate   than   his   predecessor,   who   saw  only   their 
deserted   habitations.     On    landing  at  a  point  on  the 
southern  coast  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  Inlet,  he  received 
intelligence  of  Esquimaux  having  been  seen  at  the  dis- 
tance of  a  mile,  and  hastened  thither  with  one  of  his 
officers.     The  natives,  on  seeing  them,  immediately  ran 
to  the  top  of  some  rocks  ;  but  the  English  advanced, 
made  friendly  signs,  deposited  a  mirror  and  a  pair  of 
worsted  mittens  at  the  foot  of  the  precipice,  and  then 
retired.     The  savages  came  down,  took  these  articles, 
and  carried  them  away  to  the  place  of  their  retreat ;  but 
they  soon  allowed   the   strangers   to   approach   them, 
though  their  hands,  when  shaken,  were  found  to  trem 
ble  violently.     By  degrees  confidence  was  estiblished. 
and  they  conducted  the  visitors  to  their  tent,  five  feet 
high,  and  twelve  in  circumference,  composed  of  wood 
and  whalebone.     Their  aspect  and  conformation,  their 
bouts  and  implements,  exactly  corresponded  to  those 
observed  by  Parry  and  Lyon  iu  Hudson's  Bay.    A  ohild, 


I 


178 


PARRY'S  POLAR  VOYAGE. 


after  being  diligently  cleared  of  its  thick  coating  of  dirt 
and  oil,  was  found  to  have  a  tawny,  copper-colored 
skin.  Tlie  natives  wore  astonished  and  alarmed  beyond 
measure  by  the  effect  of  fire-arms.  A  seal  being  shot, 
one  of  tham  was  sent  to  fetch  it.  He  examined  it  all 
over  till  he  found  the  hole  made  by  the  ball,  when, 
thrusting  his  finger  into  it,  he  set  up  a  shout  of  aston- 
ishment, dancing  and  capering  in  the  most  extravagant 
manner.  Another  was  prevailed  upon  to  fire  a  pistol ; 
but  instantly,  on  hearing  the  report,  started  and  ran 
back  into  the  tent. 

The  observations  were  not  completed  till  the  begin- 
ning of  September,  when  the  season  was  too  late  to 
allow  Clavcring  to  gratify  his  wish  of  making  a  run  to 
the  northward.  Nor  did  he  extricate  himself  from  the 
ice  witiiout  some  severe  shocks  ;  but  nevertheless,  after 
spending  six  weeks  at  Drontheim,  he  entered  the 
Thames  about  the  njiddle  of  December. 

After  the  abortive  voyage  of  Buchan  and  Franklin,  in 
1818,  no  further  attempt  was  made  to  reach  the  pole  in 
ships ;  but  a  plan  was  devised  to  accomplish  that  object 
in  vehicles  drawn  over  the  frozen  surface  of  the  ocean 
—  a  scheme  first  suggested  by  Scorcsby,  who  endeav- 
ored to  prove  that  such  a  journey  was  neither  so  vision- 
ary nor  so  very  perilous  as  it  might  appear  to  those 
who  were  unacquainted  with  the  Arctic  regions. 

Ilis  suggestions  did  not,  for  a  considerable  time, 
attract  attention  ;  but  at  length  Captain  Parry,  after  hia 
three  brilliant  voyages  to  the  north-west,  finding  reason 
to  suspect  that  his  further  progress  in  that  direction 
was  hopeless,  turned  hia  thoughts  to  the  probability  of 
penetrating  over  the  frozen  sea  to  the  pole.  Combining 
iScoresby's  ideas  with  his  own  observations,  and  with  a 
series  of  reflections  derived  by  Captain  Franklin  from 
hie  extensive  experience,  he  submitted  to  the  Lords  of 


PARRY  8  POLAR  VOYAGE.  ]77 

tho  Admiralty  tJ.e  plan  of  an  expedition  over  the  polar 
ce.  Their  lordships,  having  referred  this  proposal  to 
the  council  and  committee  of  the  Royal  Society,  and 
received  a  favorable  report  as  to  the  advantages  which 
Bcence  might  derive  from  such  a  journey,  anpliod  them- 
selvea  w.th  their  usual  alacrity  to  supply  the  captain 
with  everything  which  could  assist  him  in  this  bold 
undertaking. 

The  Ilecla  was  employed  to  carry  him  to  the  northern 
coas   of  Spitzbergen,  where  she  was  to  be  secured  in  a 
safe  harbor  or  cove  ;  and  with  her  were  sent  two  boats, 
to  be  dragged  or  navigated,  according  to  circumstances, 
from  that  island  to  the  pole.     These  boats  being  framed 
of  ash  and  hickory,  covered  with  water-proof  canvas, 
over  which  were  successive  planks  of  fir  and  oak,  with 
a  sheet  of  stout  felt  interposed,  united  the  greatest  pos- 
sible degree  of  strength  and  elasticity.     The  interior 
was  made  capacious,  and  flat-floored,  somewhat  as  in 
troop-boats  ;  and  a  runner,  attached  to  each  side  of  the 
koel,  fitted  them  to  be  drawn  along  the  ice  like  a  sledge 
Whees  were  also  taken  on  board,  in  case  their  use 
sliould  bo  found  practicable. 

The  advontur(.rs  started  on  the  27 th  of  I^Iarch    IS^I 
and  on  the   19th  of  April  entered  the  fine  harbor  V 
Ilammerfest,  in  Norway,  where  thoy  remained  two  or 
three  weeks,  and  took  on  board  eight  reindeer,  with  a 
quantity  of  picked  moss  for  their  provender.     Departinir 
on  the  11th  of  May,  they  soon  found  themselves  amont 
the  ice,  and  met  a  number  of  whale-ships.     On  the  13th 
they  were  in  view  of  Hakluyt's  Headland,  when  the 
captain  endeavored  to  push  his  way  to  the  north-east 
■n  the  track  of  Phipps.     The  vessel,  however,  was  soon 
oomplecely  beset,  and  even  enclosed  in  a  large  floe,  which 
■earned  her  slowly  along  with  it. 
As  every  day  was  now  an  irretrievable  loss,  Parry 


^'Sl.^. 


% 


178 


PARRY  S  Pt»LAR  VOYAGE. 


became  impatient  in  the  extreme,  and  furmcd  a  plan  tc 
p'ush  oflF  northward,  leaving  the  ship  to  find  a  harbor  for 
herself,  where  ho  truHtcd,  on  his  retnrn,  to  trace  her 
out.  But  the  survey  of  the  route  in  the  proposed  di- 
rection was  most  discouraging.  In  consequence  of 
some  violent  agitation  the  preceding  season,  tlie  ice  had 
been  piled  up  in  innumerable  hummocks,  causing  tiio 
8«a  to  resemble  a  stone-mason's  yard,  except  that  it 
contained  masses  ten  times  larger.  This  state  of  the 
surface,  which  would  have  rendered  it  impossible  to 
drag  the  boats  more  than  a  mile  in  the  day,  was  found 
to  prevail  for  a  considerable  space  with  little  interrup- 
tion. 

The  current,  meantime,  continued  to  carry  the  ship, 
with  the  floe  to  which  she  was  fastened,  slowly  to  the 
eastward,  till  it  brought  her  into  shoal  water.  Parry 
lowered  a  boat,  and  found  some  heavy  masses  of  ice 
attached  to  the  bottom  in  six  fathoms ;  after  which  ho 
felt  it  quite  out  of  the  question  to  leave  her  with  a 
diminished  crew,  dnd  oxposc^d  to  so  much  danger,  aris- 
ing from  the  combined  difficulty  of  unsurveyed  ground 
and  ice.  The  conclusiim  was  therefore  irresistibly 
forced  upon  his  mind,  that  a  secure  harbor  must  be 
Bougiit  for  the  vessel  before  setting  out  with  the  boats. 
No  choice  was  then  left  but  to  steer  back  for  the  coast 
of  Spitzbergen,  where  he  unexpectedly  lighted  on  a 
verj'^  convenient  recess,  named  by  him  Ilecla  Cove  ;  and 
it  proved  to  bo  part  of  the  bay  to  which  an  old  Dutch 
chart  gives  the  name  of  Trcurcnborg. 

The  animals  met  with  here  during  the  Ilecla's  stay 
were  principally  reindeer,  bears,  foxes,  kittiwakes, 
glaucous  and  ivory  gulls,  tern,  eider-ducks,  and  a  few 
grouse.  Looms  and  rotges  were  numerous  in  the  offing. 
Seventy  reindeer  were  killed,  chiefly  very  small,  and, 
antil   the   middle   of  August,   not   in   good   condition. 


PARRY'S  POLAR  VOYAGE.  179 

They  were  usually  met  with"  in  herds  of  from  six  or 
eight  to  twenty,  an.l  were  most  abundant  on  the  west 
and  north  skIoh  of  the  bay.  Tliree  bears  were  killed, 
llie  vegetation  was  tolerably  abundant 

The  neighborhood  of  this  bay,  like  most  of  the  north- 
ern shores  of  S,)itzbergen,  appears  to  have  been  much 
visited  by  the  Duteii  at  a  very  early  period.  There  are 
thirty  graves  on  a  point  of  land  on  the  north  side  of  the 


REINDEER. 


bay  ,he  bodies  are  usually  deposited  in  an  oblonff 
wooden  coffin,  which,  on  account  of  the  cffficulty  of 
•I'gging  the  ground,  is  not  buried,  but  n.^ely  covered 
by  large  stones  ;  and  a  board  is  generally  placed  near 
tl'^>  head,  havinp.,  either  cut  or  painted  upon  it  the 
-mo  of  the  deceased,  with  those  of  his  ship  and 'com 
.u.uidor.  and  tin,  month  and  year  of  his  buriai.  Several 
of  those  wore  fifty  or  sixty  years  old  ;  one  bore  the  date 
of  1738  ;  and  another,  which  Parry  found  on  the  beach 


180 


PARRY'S  POLAR  VOYAGE. 


to  tlio  oastwunl  of  Ilccla  Cove,  that  of  1690;  tlio  in 
Hcriutioii  (liHtinclly  appearing  in  prominent  relief,  occa- 
Bioned  by  the  preservation  of  the  wood  by  tlio  paint, 
while  the  unpainted  part  had  decayed  around  it. 

It  was  now  the  '20th  of  June,  and  the  best  of  the 
Beanon  had  been  spent  in  beating  backwards  and  for- 
wards on  these  ice-bound  shores  ;  he  therefore  resolved, 
without  further  delay,  to  prosecute  the  main  object  of 
bis  enterprise  ;  and,  though  scarcely  hoping  to  reach  the 
pole,  he  determined,  at  all  events,  to  push  as  far  north  as 
possible.  He  took  with  him  seventy-one  days'  provi- 
sion, consisting  of  pemmican,  biscuit,  cocoa,  and  rum. 
The  spirit  of  wine,  as  the  most  portable  and  concen- 
trated fuel,  was  alone  used  for  that  purpose.  There 
were  provided  changes  of  warm  clothing,  thick  fur 
dresses  for  sleeping  in,  and  strong  Esquimaux  boots. 
The  reindeer,  and  also  the  wheels,  were  given  up  at 
once,  as  altogether  useless  in  the  present  rugged  state 
of  the  ice ;  but  four  sledges,  constructed  out  of  the 
native  snow-shoes,  proved  very  convenient  for  dragging 
along  the  baggago. 

On  the  21M  of  Juno  the  expeditionary  party  quitted 
the  ship,  and  betook  themselves  to  the  boats,  amid  the 
cheers  of  thoir  associates.  Although  all  the  shores 
were  still  frozen,  they  had  an  open  sea,  calm  and  sincoth 
as  a  mirror,  thnnigh  which,  with  their  loaded  vesscis, 
they  advanced  slowly,  but  agreeably.  A  Iter  proceeding 
thus  for  abor/,  eighty  miles,  tlioy  reached,  not,  as 
they  had  hoped,  the  main  body  of  the  ice,  but  a  surface 
intermediate  between  ice  and  water.  This  couU;  rrither 
DC  walked  !ior  sailed  over,  but  was  to  be  passed  by  the 
two  methods  alternately  ;  and  it  was  on  such  a  strange 
and  perilous  plain  that  they  had  to  land,  in  order  tr 
commence  their  laborious  journey  toward  the  pole. 

Parry  doscribis  in  an  interesting  manner  the  singular 


PARRY'S  POL.iR  VOYAGE.  IgJ 

mode  Of  travelling,  which  they  were  compelled  to  adopt 
The  first  Ht<.p  wuH  to  convert  night  into  day -to  begin 

rhuB     while    they   had   quite   enough   of   hVht     thev 

avo,  ed   the   Hnuw-glare,  and   the   blindnesn   which    it 

ually  produccH  ;  besides,  the  ice  was  drier  and  harder 

b      uh  tho,a;  and  they  enjoyed  the  greatest  warn.th 

though  they  were  a  little  annoyed  by  denno  and  Ae- 
qu<,.n   fogH.     Thus  their  notions  of  night  and  day  beca  ne 
.averted      Several  of  the  n.o,.  declared  that  they  neve 
knew  n,ght  fron.  day,  during  the  whole  excursio.f  They 

.ciily  late  ,„  the  evening,  and.  having  performed  their 
devotions,  breakfasted  on  warm  cocoa  and  biscuit ;  then 
drawing  on   their  boots,   usually  either  wet  or  hard' 
frozen,  and  which,  though  perfectly  dried,  would  have 
been  equally  soaked  in  fifteen  minutes,  the  party  trav- 

to  d Lr  T."'  '""'  ""  '  ""'^  '''''  "-^-'^''t  stopped 
todne.  They  next  accomplished  an  equal  journey  i„ 
wha  was  called  the  afternoon  ;  and  in  the  evLing,  th 

.lb  '"  ff;"^^'-^^^""'-  •"  t''«  -^ornius,  baited  as  for  the 
mglt.  After  applying  themselves  to  obtain  rest  and 
comfort,  they  put  on  dry  stockings  and  fur  boot, 
cooked  something  warm  for  supper,  smoked  their  pipes' 
told  over  their  exploits,  and,  .orgetting  the  toils  of  tl.;. 
day,  enjoyed  an  interval  of  ease  and  gayety  ;  then,  well 
wrapped  ,n  their  fur  cloaks,  they  lay  down  in  the  boat 

ather  too  close  together,  perhaps,  but  with  very  tolero: 
Me  com  ort ;  and  in  due  time  the  sound  of  a  bugle 
roused  them  to  their  breakfast  of  cocoa,  and  to  a  rep^ 
tition  of  the  same  arduous  duties. 

The  progress  for  several  days  was  moct  slow  and 
laborious      The  floes  were  small,  exceedingly  rough 
»nd  antersected  by  lanes  of  water,  which  could  not  be 


■ 

f 

1  , 

^^1 

1 

.  r;y 

1 

^^^H 

'^  '  ■  ':"'• 


182 


PAIIRY'8  POLAR  VOYAOK. 


oroHscd  without  unloiiding  tho  houtH.  It  was  commonlj 
necoHHiiry  to  convoy  tlicne  uml  tlie  HtoroH  by  two  HtujjoB  ; 
and  the  HuilorH,  being  obligfd  to  rotiiin  for  tho  Hccond 
portion,  hud  to  go  tlin-o  timcH  over  tlic  Hiini«>  gronnd. 
SoinolinuJH  they  won-  obb'gcd  to  intiko  threi;  HtugoH,  tind 
tliiiH  to  i>iiHs  over  it  live  times. 

There  fell  as  much  ruin  us  they  hud  experienced  dur- 
ing the  whole  cour.se  of  seven  yours  in  the  K>wor  luti- 
tude.  A  grout  doul  of  tlie  ice  over  wiiich  they  truvollod 
wus  formed  into  nun>l)erU'SS  irregular  needle-like  crys- 
tals, standing  upwurdw,  and  pointed  at  both  ends.  Tho 
horizontul  surface  of  this  purt  hud  Honiotinies  the  up- 
peurunce  of  greenish  velvet,  while  the  vertical  sections, 
when  in  a  compact  state,  resembled  the  most  beautiful 
satin  spur,  ami  asbestos  when  going  to  pieces.  Tiiese 
peculiar  wedges,  it  was  supposed,  wore  produced  by 
the  drops  of  rain  piercing  through  tho  superliciul  ice. 
The  needles  at  first  utVorded  tolorubly  lirm  footing  ;  but, 
becoming  always  more  loose  and  movable  as  the  sum- 
mer advanced,  they  ut  last  cut  the  boots  and  foot  as  if 
thoy  had  been  pen-knives.  Occasionally,  too,  there 
arose  hummocks  so  elevated  and  rugged  that  the  boats 
coidd  only  be  borne  over  them,  in  a  direction  almost 
perpendicular,  by  those  vigorous  operations  called  "  a 
standing  pull  and  a  bowline  haul." 

The  result  of  all  this  was,  that  a  severe  exertion  of 
five  or  six  hours  did  not  usually  produce  a  progress  oi 
above  a  mile  and  a  half  or  two  miles,  and  that  in  a  wind- 
ing direction  ;  so  that,  after  having  entered  upon  tho 
ice  on  the  24th  of  June,  in  latitude  SI"  13',  thoy  found 
themselves  on  the  29th  only  in  81°  23',  having  thus 
made  only  about  eight  miles  of  direct  northing.  Parry 
Boon  relin(]uished  all  hope  of  reaching  the  pole  ;  how- 
ever, it  was  resolved  to  push  on  us  fur  as  possible  ;  and 
the  party  coming  at  length  to  somewhat  smoother  ic« 


PAIUIYS  POLAR   VOVAQE. 


18a 


...d  IarK,.r  flocH.  mad.  rathor  lu-tt-r  proKioHH.     Wl.ilo 

and  Liout   KuHs  immWy  p«Hlu,d  ur,  to  tl»>  ..thcr  o.kI    to 
-.rtan.  the  hent  c..u.-He.     On  roud.i,.,  the  oxtrclnity 
hoy  conuMonly  nuMu.tocl  the  lurKcst  l.u.nmock.  whon.o 
Ley  bohcld  u  night  of  which  nothing  could  oxo.od  tho 
.oannoHH.     Tho  eyo  rested  nolely  upon  Ice.  a.,d  1  ^ 
hid  Ml  (lonHo  and  diHmul  fogs.  ^ 

One  warm  day,  two  dies  on   tho  ice  were  regard.. 
w.th  a  dogroo  of  attention  that  woul.l  have   been   lud  - 
croua  un.lor  other  circum«tance8  ,  and  e<,n«IIy  important 
was  the  Mght  of  an  aphLs  Uurealis,  i„  a  hu.guid  Htate   u 
.undred  n.es  away  from  land.     Amid   iL  J      'of 
nanimato  desolation,  the  view  of  a  passing  bird,  or  o 
-co  m  any  peculiar  shape,  excited  an  intense  interest 
w  .ch  they  smiled  to  recollect;  but  they  were  pr  nc .' 
pa  iy  chee.3d  by  viewing  the  two  boats  in  tho  dista     J 
t».o  moving  .gures  of  the  n.en  winding  with  their  sledge 
among  the  hun.n.ocks,  and  by  hearing  tho  sound  of 
'•-"nan  vo.ces,  which  broke  the  silence  of  thi,  frlen 
w.hlerness.     The  r.i,.  ...d  the  increasing  warnUh  o     l" 
oason    .ndeed,  gradually  softened  the  ice  and  s  o  v 
but  th.s   only  caused   the   travellers  to  sink  deep  r  It' 
every  stop.     At  one  place  they  sank  repeatedly'thrre 
ot,  and  re,,un-ed  three  hours  to  n.ake  a  hundred  yards 
Having  attained  82°  40'.  ,hey  began  to  hold  it  as  a   ixe  j 
point  that  their  efllnts  would  be  crowned  with  sue  •  es 
-  far  as  t<,  reach  the  eighty-third  parallel.     This      po 

hldt      ";,"7""'  '""  ^'"""'"^  -■'-'•  -  the  2L>d.    1  ev 
m       avelled  seventeen  miles,  the  greater  proporti  .n  of 

"-avo.able  change,  which  baffled  all  their  exertions 

l^own  to  the  U.th,  the  wind  had  blown  steadily  Ln 

i'o  south,  which,  though  without  aiding  then    m  7 

bad  at  least  checked  the  usual  movemcft  of  tl  e    ^    ' 


184 


PARRY'S  POLAR  VOYACE. 


1 .  '  *  ■• 


that  direction.  On  the  last  of  thepc  days,  h(>wov< :,  a 
breeze  sprang  up  from  the  north,  which  opened,  indeed, 
a  few  hmes  of  water;  but  this.  It  waa  feaiod,  could  not 
compensate  for  the  manner  in  which  it  must  cause  the 
loosened  masses  of  ice,  with  the  travellers  upon  them 
to  drift  to  the  southward.  This  eflect  was  soon  found 
to  take  place  to  an  extent  still  more  alarming  than  had 
l«een  at  first  anticipated  ;  for,  instead  of  ten  or  twelve 
miles,  which  they  reckoned  themselves  to  have  achieved 
northward  on  the  22d,  they  were  found  not  to  have 
made  qui*e  four.  This  most  discoaraging  fact  was  at 
first  concealed  from  the  sailors,  who  only  remarked  that 
they  were  very  long  in  getting  to  the  eighty-tliird  degree. 

The  expedition  was  now  ffist  approaching  the  utmost 
limits  of  animal  life.  During  their  long  journey  of  the 
22d,  they  only  saw  two  seals,  a  fish,  and  a  bird.  On 
the  24th  only  one  solitary  rotge  was  heard  ;  and  it  might 
be  presumed  that,  from  tlicnco  to  the  polo,  all  would  be 
a  uniform  scene  of  silence  and  s.olitude.»  The  adventur- 
ers pushed  on  without  hesitation  beyond  the  realms  of 
life  ;  but  nov,  after  three  days  of  bad  travelling,  when 
their  reckoning  gave  them  ten  or  eleven  miles  of  prog- 
ress, obseivation  showed  them  to  be  four  miles  south  of 
the  position  which  they  occupied  on  the  evening  of  the 
22d  —  the  drifting  of  the  snow-fields  having  iu  that  time 
carried  them  fourteen  miles  backward. 

This  was  too  much  ;  and  to  reach  even  the  eighty- 
third  dcj^ree,  thougti  only  twenty  miles  distant,  wr.s 
now  beyond  all  reasonable  hope.  To  ask  the  men  to 
undergo  such  unparalleled  toil  a. id  haidship,  with  tiie 
danger  of  their  means  being  exli.iustcd,  while  an  invisi- 
ble power  umiid  what  tiieir  most  strenuous  lal)ors 
af^complished,  was  contrary  to  the  \  iews  of  theii  con- 
siderate commander.  In  short,  he  det(.rmined  that  they 
should  take  a  day  of  rest,  and  then  set  out  ou  their 


PARRY'S  POLAR  VOYaoE. 


185 


return  This  resolution  was  communicated  to  the  crew, 
rho,  though  deeply  disappointed  at  having  achieved  90 
l.nle,  ncqu.esced  in  the  necessity,  and  consoled  them- 
selves w.th  the  idea  of  having  gone  further  north  than 
any  previous  expedition  of  which  there  was  a  well- 
authenticated  record. 

Tlio  furthest  point  of  latitude  reached  was  on  the  23d 
and  was,  probably,  to  82°  45'.  "  At  the  extreme  poin^ 
of  our  journey,"  says  Parry,  "our  distance  from  the 

io^r' '"'"""'  ^""'^'•^J  ^'"1  «evcnty-two  miles  in  a 
^.  8    W.  direction.     To  accomplish  this  distance  we 
had   traversed,   by   our  reckoning,    two   hundred    and 
M.nety-two  miles,  of  which  about  one  hundred  were  por- 
lormed  by  water  previously   to   our  enteiincr  the  ice 
As  we  travelled  by  far  the  greater  part  of  our  distance 
on  the  ice  three,  and  not  unfrequently  five,  times  over 
wo  may  safely  multiply  the  length  of  (be  road  by  two 
and  a  half;  so  that  our  whole  distance,  on  a  very  mod- 
erate  calculation,  amoui:ted  to  five  hundred  and  eightv 
gcogrr^phical,  or   six  hundred  and  sixty-eight  statute 
miles,  being  nearly  sufficient  to  have  reached  the  pole 
■"  a  direct  line.     Up  to  this  period  we  had  been  pai^ 
licuiar.y  lortiinate  in  the  preservation  of  our  health  " 
Their  day  of  rest  (July  2Uh),  before  starting  to  return 
u-as  one  of  the  pleasantosf,  they  had  experienced  upon 
tlie  icp ;  the  thermometer  only  from  31°  to  36°  in  the 
shade,  and  37°  in  the  sun  ;  no  bottom  with  five  hundred 
i.itl  oms  of  liae. 

Tic  ro'.urnwas  equally  laborious  as  the  going  on f 
and  in  some  respects  more  unpleasant,  from  the  incroas-' 
i"g  softness  of  the  ice  and  snow  — depriving  them  of 
c.nhdence  in  any  spot  on  which  they  placed  their  boats 
T  persons,  and  ofton  sinking  two  or  three  feet  in  an 
-nstant.  On  the  Ist  of  August  some  recent  bear-tracks 
wore  seen,  and,  soon  -'"ter,  Bruin  himself  appeared  •  but, 


186 


PARRY'S  POLAR  VOYAGE. 


ihou^'h   iittompts  wore   made  to   draw  him  within  sfCTi- 
slint,  ho  osraiH'd  uiiliarmed.      Hut.  en  tiio  4th,  a  fat  hear 


^l^l\'H?Sh^. 


'iW 
'<-*/i 


'^^\« 


5* 


fl 


■■fn 


,'n 


POLAR    BKAU. 


A'.is  shot  Liy  Lieut.  Ross:  and  "the  men  woro  hyiii^ 
steaks,  durinj;^  tlie  wliole  day,  over  a  large  fire  made  of 
tiie  bIul)hor."  To  some  tlio  coiise(iuoiico  oi' their  indul- 
j;-oiice  was  an  indigestion.  On  tiie  10th  anotlier  lioui" 
was  killed  :  "  and  our  enoampnient,"  says  Parry, 
"  l)ecame  so  like  an  Esquimaux  estahlishtnont  that  we 
were  obliged  to  shift  our  place  upon  the  l!oo  in  the 
course  of  the  day,  for  the  sake  of  cjeaidiness  and  com- 
fort." 

At  length,  on  M-e  11th  of  August,  I'arry  and  his  party 
'leard  the  sound  of  the  surge  r)r<}aking  against  tl:e  exte- 
rior margin  of  the  great  icy  field.  They  were  soon 
launehed  on  the  open  sea,  and  reachi'd  Table  Island, 
where  a  supply  of  broad  had  been  dei)osited  ;  but  Bruiu 


PAUUY'S  POLAR  VOiAGE. 


187 


ad  chs.overed  it,  and  devoured  ti.e  whole.     They  Ibund 
huuever    some  accommodations,  while  the  stores  left' 

tt  21  i  "  '"'^  "''"^  '^^'"  'i"""*^'  ""disturbed.  On 
tht  21st  the  navigators  arrived  in  Hecia  Cove  from 
-hence,  soon  afterwards,  they  sailed  for  Kngl^aJd 

Such  was  the  result  of  the  first  and  only  attemnt  to 
ponetrate  to  the  pole  over  the  frozen  surface'ot         d'eer 

touaids  the  fulfilment  of  tlunr  intention;  yet  thero 
--nothm,  in  U.e  details  ,u.t  gi^^^^ 
tl-o  en  crpnse.  as  in.possiblo,  or  even  to  render  it  very 
-  e-b  e.  The  unfavorable  issue  was  evidently  1^^ 
'-  the  advanced  season  of  the  year,  when  the  thaw  and 
-msecuent  dissolution  of  the  ice  had  made  grea  L 
-.and^a^t^e  materials  of  the  great  noiLrn^l,:. 


1^'- '  !;^>miC''f*''>'ffT^=i-— ^^ 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Bllft'S   BECOHD   TOYAGE.  —  nor.STKINBOIlO. —  DISCO    ISLAND.  I.AIICABTK« 

iOORD. BOOTHIA. —  DISCOVErtV  OF  TIIR  FCHY'S  STORES. —  DANGER- 
OUS    NAVIGATION. PREPARATIONS      FOR      WINTERING.  —  VISIT      FROM 

ESQUIMAUX. — EXCURSION.  — SECOND  WINTER  IN  TUB  ICE. — THE  MAO- 
NETIC  POLE. — TIIIKD  AND  FOURTH  WINTER.  —  ABANDONMENT  OF  TUB 
VICTORY. — MEETING    WITH    A    WHALER. 

Next  in  chronological  order  is  the  expedition  equipped 
at  the  cost  of  Sir  Felix  Booth,  and  conducted  by  Captain 
Ross,  and  his  Jicpliew,  ConimiunK-r  (afterwards  Sir  James) 
Ross.  They  sailed  in  JNIay,  1829,  in  the  Victory,  a 
vessel  fitted  with  a  steam-engine,  in  addition  to  her 
sails,  so  as  to  be  able  to  navigate  in  calm  weather,  or 
in  baffling  winds.  The  object  of  the  voyage  was  to 
search  for  the  north-west  j)assage,  as  Parry  had  done 
before,  by  some  opening  leading  out  of  Regent's  Inlet. 

On  the  22d  of  July  they  entered  a  bay  which  opened 
into  two  magnificent  inlets,  bordered  by  rocks  of  impos- 
ing form  ;  and  every  spot,  not  absolutely  a  precipice, 
was  covered  with  such  bright  verdure  as  to  justify  the 
appellation  of  Greenland.  In  sailing  upwards,  the  unex- 
l)ectcd  appearance  of  a  Danish  flag  surprised  the  crew, 
and  they  learned  that  they  were  now  near  a  settle- 
ment belonging  to  that  nation,  called  Holsteinborg. 
The  governor  had  seen  the  masts  above  the  rocks,  and 
apprehensive  of  their  being  those  of  a  vessel  in  distress, 
kindly  sent  an  oiler  of  aid.     The  party  were  immediately 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE.  139 

conducted  to  the  village,  where  they  had  a  hospitable 
reception,  with   entertainment  such  as  they  li  tTe  e^ 
pected  on  those  droaiy  shores 
Thc^  here  found  a  disabled  vessel,  and  from  it  replen- 

o  the  '7,r"'"  r"  ^P""  ^'^^  P'-"^^^--  --  -ised 
to  the,r  fu  1  complement.  Some  boots  and  gloves  were 
obtained  from  the  natives,  and  the  governor  made  a 
"seiul  present  of  six  Esquimaux  dogs 

and?  Jt^  ^^'^  ^^'  discoverers  sailed  to  the  northward; 
and  on  the  moruino-  of  thp  9SfK  +i.„     *  , 

tains  of  n;«n.  /"SOI  the  jsth  the  stupendous  moun- 
tauis  of  D.sco  Island,  long  enveloped  in  mist,  burst  on 
the,r  view,  only  a  few  miles  distant  The  range  nearest 
he  shore  was  entirely  free  from  snow,  and  tlfe  interL 
liills  were  but  partially  covered  il.ro  ill  7 
almost  equally  clear;  and,  though  fo";  ceb^^,::: 
observed,  yet,  as  the  navigators  approached  the  fati;! 

oeset  in  1 824,  not  a  vestige  of  ice  was  perceived      Thev 

seas  of   England,  or  even  of  the    Mediterranean  •  the 
men  threw  off  their  jackets,  and  worked  in  ^dr  shirts 

relTsl^t^  "'■  ''"""^T-     ''-''-'  -™'  times 
recouKse  to  the  engme,  though,  from  practical  def-cts 

uti^rciCncr  ^'^"^"'^  '''-^  -•-^-^'  -  ^ 

Sound,  and  reverting  to  the  blame  imputed  to  1  r„  t 
.ot    av,ng  explored  it,  the  captain  observe' that  from 

nav„a.„,s  of  ,ho  great...  ,m.    Z  .,•  ^  "^'ffl; 


190 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


from  his  had  been  expressed  by  any  one  of  his  oflBccra, 
who,  if  they  entertained  any  such,  were  unquestionably 
bound  to  have  stated  it.  The  ice,  moreover,  hiy  then 
BO  thick  that  he  could  have  penetrated  but  a  lew  miles 
further. 

Now,  however,  he  sailed  through  tiic  middle  of  the 
strait,  perceiving  scarcely  any  trace  of  ice  or  snow, 
unless  on  the  tops  of  the  lofty  mountains.  The  ther- 
mometer stood  at  40°,  while  the  sensible  heat  was  so 
much  greater  that  they  felt  it  agreeable  to  dine  witiiout 
a  fire,  and  with  half  the  skylight  removed.  For  two 
days  they  made  only  a  slow  and  laborious  progress,  by 
the  aid  of  steam  ;  but,  on  the  9tli,  a  welcome  breeze 
sprang  up  from  the  east,  and,  all  sail  being  set,  on  the 
10th  they  passed  Cape  York,  after  wliicli  the  land  begins 
to  turn  southward,  and,  with  the  opposite  coast  of  North 
Somerset  (Boothia),  forms  the  broad  opening  of  Prince 
Regent's  Inlet.  This  being  the  channel  by  whioli  Rosa 
hoped  to  accomplish  his  passage,  he  immediately  steered 
across,  and  reached  the  western  shore  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  11th,  between  Cape  Seppings  and  Elwin  Bay. 

In  sailing  southward  along  this  coast,  some  heavy 
gales  were  encountered ;  and  the  ice  having  been  broken 
oft'  in  the  various  forms  of  streams,  packs,  and  bergs, 
the  full  difficulties  of  Arctic  navigation  began  to  be 
experienced.  These  were  increased  by  the  near  ap- 
proach to  the  magnetic  pole,  so  that  the  compass 
ceased  to  traverse  ;  and  the  bearings  could  he  ascer- 
tained only  by  observations  on  the  sun,  which  was  often 
obscured  by  heavy  fogs.  The  navigators  made  their 
way,  however,  and  on  the  12tli  descried  the  place  of 
(he  Fairy's  wreck,  with  the  poles  of  the  tents  standing. 
They  hastened,  with  intense  interest,  to  examine  this 
spot.  The  hull  of  the  ship,  which  was  left  on  the 
Leach,  had  disappeared,  without  even  a  vestige  remain- 


[lyij 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOFAGE. 


193 


«ng.     The  moving  masses  of  ice  had  either  carried  it 
out  'n  a  h(,dy  or  broken  it  into  fragments  and  scattered 
.t  as  dnft-wood  over  the  surrounding  sea.     But  it  was 
an  ample   con.pensation  to  find  that  the  canisters  of 
preserved  provisions,  after  being  exposed  during  four 
years,  were  in  as  perfect  condition  as  if  they  had  been 
newly  prepared.     The  tightness  of  these  vessels  had 
prevented  the  bear  from  smelling  the  rich  feast  they 
contained  for  him,  and  to  which  otherwise  he  would 
soon  have  forced  his  way.     The  wine,  spirits,  sugar, 
bread    flour    and   cocoa,  were,  with   little   exception 
equally  good,  and  the  sails  were  found  in  complete  pres' 
ervation.     After  taking  in  all  the  provisions  they  could 
conveniently  stow,  raising  their  stock  to  two  years  and 
three  months'   supply,   the  accumulated  pile   seemed 
Bcarcely  diminished.     Here.  also,  they  procured  a  store 
01  coal. 

Crossing  now  the  broad  mouth  of  Crcsswell  Bay  thev 
reached  on  the  15th  of  August,  a  cape  to  which  the 
name  of  Garry  has   been   attached,  the  furthest  point 
seen  by  Parry.     The  land  trended  in  a  south-south  west 
direction,  which,  with  kv^  variations,  it  continued  to 
follow.     Deprived  of  all  aid  from  the  compass,  and  ofteu 
enveloped  in  fogs,  they  worked  their  way  slowly,  amid 
many  difSculties  and  frequent  dangers,  being  obliged 
to  steer  merely  according  to   the   direction  which  the 
wind,  or  even  the  floating  ice,  had,  in  the  last  clear 
mterval,  been  observed  to  pursue.     While  mountains 
of  ice  were  tossing  around  them  on  every  side  thev 
were  often  forced  to  seek  safety  by  mooring  themselves 
to  these  formidable   masses,  and   drifting  with   them 
sometimes  forward,  sometimes  backward.     In  this  man' 
ner  on  one  occasion,  no  less  than  nineteen  miles  were 
lost  in  a  few  hours  ;  at  other  times  they  underwent  fre 
quent  and  severe  shocks,  yet  escaped  any  serious  dam    • 

In 


194 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


t^M.^-: 


ago.  Uo88  concoivcs  that  his  littlo  bark,  merely  by  its 
moderate  draught  of  water,  was  much  better  fitted  for 
Bucli  a  iiiivigatioti  than  the  hirger  vessels  employed  in 
previous  expeditions,  and  that  those  of  Parry  would 
have  been  shattered  to  pieces  by  the  rocks  over  which 
the  Victory  was  carried  in  safety. 

On  several  points  of  this  coast  they  observed  Esqui- 
maux tents, —  at  one  place  twenty  in  number, —  but  none 
of  the  natives.  Many  whales  appeared  on  the  surface 
of  the  water  close  to  them,  without  showing  any  appre- 
hension of  man. 

Among  the  leading  features  of  the  coast  was  Brent- 
ford Bay,  of  considerable  extent,  with  some  fine  harbors, 
thirty  miles  beyond  Cape  Garry.  Here  the  captain 
landed,  displayed  his  colors,  and,  drinking  the  king's 
health,  took  possession,  in  his  majesty's  name,  of  the 
land,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Boothia. 

Under  all  impediments,  in  the  course  of  August  and 
September,  he  worked  his  way  along  throe  hundred 
miles  of  undiscovered  coast,  and  to  within  two  hundred 
and  eighty  miles  of  the  point  which  Franklin  had 
reached.  ITere  the  land,  taking  a  westerly  direction, 
Boemed  to  alTord  the  fair  promise  of  a  passage  between 
the  country  now  surveyed  and  the  continent  of  America. 
But,  by  the  end  of  September,  snow  began  to  fall  thick  ; 
the  thermometer  sank  far  below  the  freezing-point,  while 
ice  in  largo  masses  was  closing  around  them.  They 
therefore  considered  themselves  fortunate  when,  in  a 
spacious  bay  between  a  rocky  island  and  two  icebergs, 
they  found  a  station  in  Felix  Harbor,  in  which,  after 
due  arrangements,  they  could  reckon  on  passing  the 
dreary  season  in  security. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  by  sawing  through  the  ic<,', 
the  vessel  was  placed  in  the  position  where  it  could  be 
most  advantageously  lodged  for  the  winter.     On  the 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAOE. 


195 


and,  except  some   occasional   points  of  rock    "nothin. 
but^c.0  ,a.,in,  and    .onoton'ou.  dn„  a:d\ve:S 
extent  of  snow  was  vi«il,le."     Tho  temperature,  which 
l.ad   been  ranging   between    10"  and  22°,  rapidly   fe 
nd.  on  the  night  of  tho  20th,  descended  asSow  al  9- 
under  zero   or  4 1"  ),..i-....  h     e       • 
the  end  of  f  o  '^  fteoz.ng-point.  and.  before 

me  end  of  the  month,  was  at  —16° 

H  prepari„g  for  tho  gloom  and   rigor  of  this  long 

Xi  a.       :.  ""^'"  '^"'^  -P-vements  even  upon  th! 

Um.rau     arrangements  of  Parry.      The   upper  deck 

^v,ng  been    covered   two  feet  and  a  half  Ten  wih 

no.  ,t  was  trodden  down  to  the  consistence^  so  d 

gravel  walk.      It  was  then  roofed  with  canvas    which 

"t  enow  that  hud  been  formed  around  the  vessel  th-s 
completely  fencing  it  in  on  every  side.  The  vapo  f  om 
he  steam-kitchen  and  oven,  instead  of  being  allied  to 
pread  through  the  cabins,  was  conveyed  by  ape'tur  s 
'.  the  upper  dock,  over  which  were  placed  to  rec  ile 
-n  tanks,  with  tho  open  side  downwards,  where 
oon  froze,  and  the  ice  wa.  cleared  out  once  a  week 

'y     ndi  I"  ^^'%^P--^-"^«  --  preserved  perfec  ly 
/.and  ,   was  not  necessary,  as  formerly,  to  keep  them 

ap  r  tmT"-""  "'  T'  ""  ^''^^  *«  P^-t  th: 
vapor   fiom   Irorzing  on  their  sides;  that  of  45°  was 

ionnd   quue   sufficient   for  health  and  comfort    and 
such  of  the  men  as  had  been  exposed  to  the  atmos- 

at  in  n^loo  7  "'  "'''^''"^  '"  P-""^"^^  combustion 
Habere  it  was  unmed.ately  warmed,  and,  instead  of  chiU- 


jtp. 


196 


IlOSa-S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


Ing,  Bcrvfid  to  heat  and  dry  the  room.  Tlio  strongth 
and  BpiritH  of  the  crow  were  supported  by  regular  mealH 
and  conBtunt  occupation.  Divine  Bcrvice  wan  duly  per- 
formed, and  religious  inBtruction  diHpenfied  at  a  bcLooI 
held  every  Sunday  evening.  On  the  other  nightB  a 
school  also  was  attended. 

The  stock  of  proviHions,  on  examination,  was  found 
Buflicient  for  two  years  and  ten  months  at  full  allowance, 
a  quantity  which  could  easily  be  nuinaged  so  as  to  last 
three  years.  Fuel  was  equally  abundant.  The  oidy 
article  deficient  was  spirits,  of  which  there  was  oidy 
one  year's  full  supply  ;  but  this  want  the  commander 
by  no  means  regretted,  being  satisfied  that  their  habitual 
use  impaired  the  strength  of  the  scavian,  diminished  his 
power  of  enduring  culd,  and  rendered  him  mure  liable  to 
scurvy.  lie  was  gratified,  therefore,  when  the  crew 
cheerfully  consented  to  their  being  withheld,  unless  on 
special  occasions  ;  and  he  considers  this  circumstance 
as  having  remarkably  contributed  to  the  preservation 
of  their  health. 

Traces  of  Esquimaux  had  been  observed  on  different 
parts  of  the  coast,  but  none  had  been  hitherto  seen. 
At  length,  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  January,  1830, 
a  party  were  discovered.  Ross  immediately  proceeded 
to  the  spot,  upon  which  they  retreated,  but  soon  re- 
turned with  a  body  of  their  companions,  ranged  in  a 
line  of  ten  in  front  and  three  deep,  one  man  being 
detached,  who  appeared  to  be  sitting  in  a  sledge.  The 
captain,  having  sent  for  his  nephew  and  some  of  the 
crew,  desired  them  to  remain  behind,  while  he  walked 
toward  the  Es(iuiiiiaux,  who  were  armcu  with  spears 
and  knives.  He  hailed  them  by  the  well-known  national 
Balutation,  Timal  tima!  which  was  shouted  by  them  in 
return.  The  navigators  then  advanced,  and,  throwing 
away  their   guns,  called   out,  Aja,  tima!  upon  wLicb 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYaOE. 


i97 


tI.o  otherB  to8«e(l  tl.dr  knives  and  spearH  in  the  air 
.-«pcat.ng  the  shout,  .\fa/  and  oxtonding  tl.dr  i.unds  t« 
Bhow  that  they  had  now  „o  weapons.  As  thoy  stoo 
Ht.ll,  huwoyor,  the  discovorcrs  approached,  and  en.'- 
braced  all  those  in  the  front  line,  stroking  thoir  dross 
and  rec'Iyiuff  in  their  turn  this  customary  greetinir' 
I  he.r  gratification  was  tosti.lod  by  laughing,  clamor,  and 

r/f ,  ^ri'"'''-    '^*'"«  '""  «-"fid-'"co  was  at  once 
established  between  the  two  parties. 

Next  day  the  discoverers  visited  "this  people  at  their 
own  village,  which  consisted  of  twelve  snow  huts,  con. 

p2v      tT-  "!'/'™'   '"'""'"■  ^'  *^"««   «^««'-vcJ   by 
i^uiry.     11„8  tnbo  were  thought,  on  the  whole,  to  bo 

.leaner  and  bettor  dressed  than  those  more  to  the  north- 

buried  in  the  snow -a  precaution  not  before   noticed 
among  any  Esquimaux.  "oucta 

^    VVhilo   the   British  remainc-d  on   these   shores,  they 
no  d  frequent  intercourse  with  this  and  other  parties  of 
natives.     Some  of  the  places  about  Repulse  Bay  being 
named  and  described,  they  showed  an  intimate  acquaint 
ance  with  them,  stating  that  they  had  recently  joun.ey  d 
from  that  quarter.     Two  of  them.  Tulluahiu  and  Ikm  ' 
i.k,  drew  a  sketch  of  the  lino  of  coast  by  which  they  had 
travelled   and  this  was  amonded  by  a  learned  lady,  Tir- 
iks.u.     Iho  general  result  proved  to  be.  that  between 
the  present  station  and  Ropnise  Bay  there  intervened  a 
very  extensive  gulf,  of  which  the  limits  were  Melville 
Peninsula  on  the  east,  the  American  coast  on  the  south 
and  the  country  in  which  they  now  were,  on  the  west.  ' 
Ihe  grand  question,  whether  there  was  any  navigable 
op(Mnng  further  westward,  could  not  be  then  ascertained, 
aiough  they  had  reason  to  believe  that,  if  there  was   it 
must  be  very  narrow.     The  strongest  interest,  however 
«^as  excite,/  oy  the  ar.-ounts  given  by  another  party  of 


m 
Ml 


198 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


great 


the 


'1,  and  of  a  btrait  which 


westwa 

it  was  hoped  might  lead  into  u.  On  tlic  5th  of  April, 
therefore,  when  the  rigor  of  winter  had  somewhat 
abated,  Commander  Ross,  with  Mr.  lilai.ky,  the  chief 
mate,  and  two  native  guides,  undertook  an  expedition 
to  explore  it.  Tlie  weather  being  still  very  inclement, 
they  were  frequently  obliged  to  pause  and  seek  refuge 
from  the  drift,  when  the  Esqui;iiaux  in  half  an  hour 
erected  snow  hits,  which  afforded  tolerable  shelter. 
Unluckily  the  fire  necessary  for  heat  and  light,  melting 
the  walls  of  this  frail  tenement,  enveloped  them  in 
moisture,  to  avoid  which  they  were  obliged  to  creep  into 
their  fur  bags. 

After  a  difficult  journey  of  three  days,  they  reached  a 
bay  facing  the  westward,  and,  on  proceeding  a  short  dis- 
tance iidand  to  the  south  and  south-east,  discovered  a 
very  extensive  lake,  called  by  the  natives  Nci-tyel-le, 
whence  a  broad  river  flowed  into  the  bay.  On  their 
return  to  the  coast,  the  guides  pointed  out  a  lofty  cape, 
beyond  which  there  was  said  to  be  a  vast  sea,  the  termi- 
nation of  which  could  not  be  descried.  Tliey  declared, 
however,  that  a  tract  of  land,  or  isthmus,  connecting  the 
territory  on  which  ihey  stood  with  the  continent  of 
America,  would  render  it  impossible  for  the  vessel  to 
roach  the  western  sea  in  this  direction,  or  otherwise 
than  by  a  channel  considerably  noi'lh  of  her  present 
station. 

The  journey  so  far  had  issued  only  in  disappointment. 
They  learned  that,  on  the  coast  nearest  tliem,  facing 
the  eastward,  there  was  a  place  called  Shagavoke,  where 
the  water  rushed  through  a  narrow  strait  with  extraor- 
dinary rapidity.  Hence  arose  hopes  that  this  tide 
might  come  from  the  opposite  sea,  and  afford  a  char.nel 
through  which  the  ship  could  be  worked.  Hut,  on 
examiuation,  this  idea  proved  fallacious,  and  (very  idea 


ROSS'S  SKCOND   VOYAGE, 


199 


of  a  passage  south  of  the  ship's  present  station  T.aa 
renounced. 

It  was  to  the  north  that  all  hopes  of  finding  the 
desired  {.assage  were  now  directed.  So  far  how 
ever,  as  they  were  personally  able  to  exannno  the 
land  ,te  aspect  was  unpromising,  and  the  most  intolli- 
ffon  nahvos  intimated  that  the  only  channel  was  in  u 
Ijiuch  more  northerly  quarter,  supposed  to  be  no  other 

ItUr       ''  """^'  '^'^^'^  ^^'-'y  ^'^^  '^'--'^ 

Before  prosecuting  further  discoveries  in  this  direc 
t.on   another  journey  was  resolved  upon  to  the  west- 
ward,    boyond    the    isthmus,    to   trace   the    coast    of 
Amonca  as  it  extended  along  the  newly-discovered  sea 
'Hieyhus  hoped  to  reach  Cape  Turnagain,  and  to  con^ 
ncct  then-  discoveries   with    those  of   Franklin       The 
younger  Ross  again  set  out  on  the  Hth  May,  with  three 
companions,  eight  dogs,  and  provisions  for  twentv-ono 
days  ;  and  on  the  19tl,  having  crossed  the  great  m'iddlc 
ake  of  the  isthmus,  he  reached  his  former  station  on 
the  western  sea.     The  first  view  of  it  was  celebrated  bv 
three  loud  and  even  joyous  cheers,  though   tempered 
with  rogretatthe  diminished  prospect  of  ever  boing.b^o 
to  navigate  it.     Having  to  spend  the  night  here,  they 
contrived   a  more    comfortable   sleeping-place,  by   ex- 
cavating a  sort  of  burrow  in  the  snow,  roofing  it  with 
their  skin  boat,  and  placing  a  block  of  snow  as  a  door 

After  passing  Cape  Isabella,  formed  of  gray  graniie 
/ive  hundred  feet  high,  the  party  travelled  along  the 
coast  west  and  north  for  twenty  miles.  On  the  morning 
of  the  21st  of  May  they  discovered,  behind  a  lofty  point, 
an  udet,  which,  from  its  breadth  and  the  different  char- 
ucter  of  1(8  opposite  coasts,  afforded  the  hope  that  it 
tnignt  open  into  the  Polar  Ocean.  They  theivforf 
aia<lo  a  cnmpleto   circuit   and  a  careful   survey  of  ita 


IH 


1   i 

n: 

savjta? 

200 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


dhores  ;  but  the  only  opening  found  was  clearly  a?cer 
tained  to  be  the  mouth  of  a  river,  named  by  them  Garry. 
On  ascending  a  higli  hill,  they  perceived  several  large 
lakes  extending  to  the  north-east,  and  forming,  in  fact, 
an  almost  continuous  chain  to  Thorn's  Bay,  near  the 
Victory's  station  ;  with  interruptions  enough,  however, 
to  prevent  a  ship  passing  through.  Next  day  they  pro- 
ceeded north-west  along  the  coast;  but,  resolving  to 
reach  the  opposite  land  some  miles  distant,  they  crossed 
the  frozen  surface?  of  the  strait,  and  came  to  a  largo 
island,  which  was  named  Matty.  They  pursued  their 
fatiguing  journey  along  its  northern  shore,  over  rough 
ice  ;  and,  passing  another  narrow  strait,  which  they 
called  Wellington,  found  themselves  on  the  mainland  of 
America. 

The  coast  now  stretched  due  west,  and,  the  surface 
being  level,  they  proceeded  with  comparative  ease  and 
rapidity.  The  direction  changing  to  the  north-west, 
they  soon  arrived  at  a  spacious  bay,  which  was  named 
Parry.  Tiiey  then  travelled  onwards  two  days,  but  with 
difficulties  continually  increasing,  and  experiencing 
great  embarrassment,  as  regarded  both  their  advance  and 
return,  in  distmguishing  between  land  and  sea.  "  When 
all  is  ice,  and  all  one  dazzling  mass  of  white  —  when 
the  surface  of  the  sea  itself  is  tossed  up  and  fixed  into 
rocks,  while  the  land  is,  on  the  contrary,  very  often  flat 
—  it  is  not  always  so  easy  a  problem  as  it  might  seem, 
on  a  superficial  view,  to  determine  a  fact  which  appears 
in  words  to  be  extremely  simple." 

After  experiencing  great  hardships  from  the  exhausted 
btate  of  t'leir  dogs,  and  the  necessity  of  abandoning  a 
groat  part  of  their  provisions,  their  return  was  a+tonded 
with  a  considerable  increase  of  snfl'ering.  The  dogs  fell 
victims  to  successive  calamities,  till,  of  eight,  only  two 
remained  alive.     It  was  proposed  to  vary  the  scene  by 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


201 


keeping  south  of  Matty  Island,  along  the  coast  of  the 
continent ;  but,  observing  that  it  formed  an  extensive 
bay  witli  winding  shores,  to  follow  the  sinuosities  of 
which  would  liave  consumed  too  much  time,  they  pushed 
forward  in  a  direct  line  over  the  frozen  surface  of  the  sea. 
On  the  8th  June  they  arrived  in  a  very  exhausted  state 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Nei-tyel-le,  where  they  met  a 
party  of  natives,  who  received  them  hospitably,  and 
Bupplied  them  so  plentifully  with  fish,  that  they  wore 
^ble  to  take  a  day's  rest,  and  proceed  at  leisure  to  the 
vessel,  which  they  reached  on  the  13th. 

Meantime,  Captain  Ross  himself  had  made  a  journey, 
though  of  more  limited  extent,  with  the  intention  of  sur- 
■'eying  the  isthmus  of  Boothia,  when  he  made  the  partial 
discovery  of  another  large  lake,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  Lady  Melville. 

The  nephew,   upon   his   return,    found   th.-t   he   had 
arrived  just  in  time.     The  early  spring,  the  only  season 
when  travelling  is  practicable  in  this  region,  was  over. 
The  thaw  had  set  in  with  extraordinary  rapidity  ;  the 
country  was  under  water  ;  the  streams  impassable,  and 
the  surface  of  the  ocean  could  not  have  been  traversed 
^without  the  greatest  danger.     Except  a  short  excursion 
'to   procure    fish,    all  their  attention   and  eflbrts   were 
directed  to  the  extrication  of  tlio  vessel  with  a  view  to 
her  voyage  northward,  in  which  direction  alone  they 
could  now  hope  to  discover  a  passage  to  the  western 
sea.     But  month  after  month  rolled  on,  the  height  of 
summer  passed,  and  the  sea  remained  still   bound  in 
icy   chains.     In   August   its  aspect   began   to   present 
hopes,  but   these  were  followed  by  successive   disap- 
pointments.    Its  close  arrived,  and  they  had  the  morti- 
fication to  reflect  that  they  had  remained  eleven  montha 
—  a  period  in  which  they  might  have  circumnavigated 
the  globe  —  fixed  to  that  dreary  spot. 


U'. 

tftiii 

m 


'hf 


202 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


At  last,  on  the  Hth  of  September,  with  a  transport 
of  joy,  they  found  themselves  free,  and  the  ship,  so  Icng 
immovable,  again  buoyant  on  the  waves.  They  ad- 
vanced about  three  miles,  when,  encountering  a  ridge 
of  ice,  they  made  fast  to  one  of  its  extremities,  in  a  tol- 
erably secure  position  between  two  bergs.  On  the  23d 
they  were  completely  frozen  in,  and  by  the  30th  the  sea 
exhibited  one  unbroken  surfoce.  The  greater  part  of 
October  was  employed  in  laboriously  sawing  their  way 
through  the  ice,  the  thickness  of  which  was  always 
increasing ;  and  they  were  at  length  obliged  to  desist, 
after  reaching  a  spot  not  exactly  such  as  could  be 
wished,  but  which,  amid  an  ocean  immovable  on  every 
side,  afforded  tolerable  protection. 

Another  dreary  winter  having  now  set  in,  it  became 
necessary  to  look  narrowly  into  the  stock  of  provisions. 
A  certain  reduction  in  the  daily  allowance  was  found 
requisite,  leaving,  at  the  same  time,  enough  to  maintaii' 
the  crew  in  health  and  vigor,  which  they  continued  to 
preserve  uninterruptedly  during  tiie  season.  They  felt, 
however,  the  utter  monotony  of  their  situation  pressing 
upon  them  with  increasing  severity  ;  they  began  almosi 
to  envy  the  Esquimaux,  to  whom  eating  ajid  sleeping 
constituted  the  whole  of  existence.  In  this  mannei 
passed  1830  ;  nor  was  it  till  April  of  the  following  yeai 
that  excursions  of  any  extent  could  be  undertaken  over 
the  frozen  surface  of  land  .and  sea. 

The  first  adventure  of  this  kind  was  conducted  by 
Commander  Ross.  One  interesting  circumstance  in  hie 
excursion  was  the  discovery  of  the  north  magnetic 
pole ;  the  situation  of  which  on  the  land  of  Boothia  is 
marked  on  the  circular  map  attached  to  this  volume. 
"  The  place  of  the  observatory,"  he  remarks,  was  as 
near  to  the  magnetic  pole  as  the  limited  moans  which  1 
pos.^esscd  enabled  me  to  determine      The  amount  of  the 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


203 


dip.  as  indicated  by  my  dippi„..neodIo,  was  89°  ^n- 
being  thus  within  one  minute  of  the  verticaT   whl  !f ' 

several  years  earlipr     '/''.''   *°  '*  ^^  ecientiiic   men 

"As  soon,"  says  the  latter,  "as  I  had  «af ;  .r  ^ 

«ame  of  Great  Britain  „„d  King  Wi  fa„^  I y  ^v"  ,  '! 
abundance  ef  material,  for  buildl,,  i  ^0  f  ^^nll''!? 
limestone  that  coveied  the  l,„„o.        ,    ^       '*  ""^ 

=i:ri=n~3'?V' 

and  its  longido  06  mV-  Irtei  ""  °'°'  "  '"°  ■''  ""• 
J-  uiiutifeiana  that  the  cairn  erected 


I 


M'UJ.^, 


f 

n 

1 

■    i 

204 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


wiih  BO  much  entluisiasm  can  now  only  show  where  il 
was.  According  to  Ilansteen,  the  pole  moves  11'  4" 
every  year,  and  revolves  within  the  frigid  zone  in  1890 
years,  so  that  it  will  not  reach  the  same  spot  in  Boothia 
until  the  year  3722  !  The  precise  determination  of  this 
point,  however,  is  said  to  be  comparatively  unimportant, 
because  its  position  can  always  be  ascertained  by  ob- 
servations of  the  compass  and  dipping-needles. 

As  Boon  as  Commander  Ross  and  his  party  returned, 
it  was  thought  time,  amid  alternate  hopes  and  fears,  to 
watch  the  progress  of  the  ice,  and  escape,  if  possible, 
from  the  prison  of  a  third  dreary  winter.  The  season 
was  not,  on  the  whole,  more  favorable  than  that  of 
1830  ;  yet,  on  the  28th  August,  a  somewhat  earlier 
period,  they  contrived  to  warp  out  into  the  open  sea, 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  29th  were  in  full  sail.  But 
they  were  baffled  by  changes  of  wind  and  heavy  gales. 
On  the  14th  of  September  they  could  again  take  exer- 
cise by  skating  on  the  newly-formed  ice.  On  the  27th 
they  found  themselves  completely  fixed  for  a  third  win- 
ter. Their  last  year's  navigation  had  been  three  miles 
—  this  season  it  was  extended  to  four  I 

The  spirits  of  the  adventurers  now  began  to  droop  in 
earnest.  Their  only  means  of  escape  seemed  to  be  to 
proceed  in  the  boats,  or  draw  them  over  the  ice  to  the 
wreck  of  the  Fury,  when,  after  supplying  themselves 
with  a  fresh  stock  of  provisions  out  of  her  stores,  they 
might  read;  Davis's  Straits,  and  be  taken  up  by  a  whale- 
fihip.  In  November  the  scurvy  began  to  appear.  The 
extraordinary  exemption  hitherto  enjoyed  from  this 
dreadful  malady,  in  the  absence  of  the  grand  specific  of 
vegetable  food,  Ross  is  inclined  to  ascribe  to  the  abun- 
dance with  which  the  men  were  supplied  with  water, 
notwithstanding  the  quantity  of  fuel  requisite  to  mell 
the  snow  ;  to  their  never  having  been  too  long  at  once 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


205 


exposed  to  cold,  and  to  the  care  that  was  taken  not  to 
allow  them  to  remain  in  their  wet  clothes 

It  was  now  .determined  to  abandon  the  Victory  and 

move  away  to  Pury  Beach,  as  early  i„  the  spring  as 

iavelhng  should  be  practicable.     The  beach  was  one 

thiee  imndred  by  the  necessary  windings.  They  sot 
out  on  the  23d  of  April,  1832,  on  the  firs?  part  of  the 
oxped:t,on.  The  loads  being  too  heavy  to'  be  carried 
at  once,  made  ,t  necessary  to  go  back  and  forward 
twice,  and  even  oftener,  the  same  day.  They  had  to 
encounter  dreadful  tempests  of  snow  and  drif[,  and  to 
make  circmts,  in  order  to  avoid  impassable  barriers. 
The  general  result  was,  that  by  the  21st  May  they  had 
avelled  three  hundred  and  twenty-nine  n.Hes  to  gain 
tlurty  in  a  direct  line,  having  in  this  labor  expended  a 

After  this  preliminary  movement,  they  returned  to  the 
Hh,p   of  which  they  were  soon  to  take  a  final  leave 
On  the  29th  of  May  they  hoisted  the  colors,  nailed  them 
to  the  mast,  and  drank  a  parting  glass  to  the  Victory, 
w.nch  they  considered  worthy  of  a  better  fate.     In  a 
low  days  they  reached  their  former  deposit ;  and  the 
men,  extremely  exhausted,  were  anxious  to  leave  the 
-mats  and  spare  provisions,  and  push  on  to  Fury  Beach 
llie  captain,  however,  considered   it  indispensable  to 
carry  these  to  the  other  side  of  Elizabeth  Harbor,  as 
he  nearest  spot  to  which  there  was  full  security  of 
being  able  to  return.     The  9th  of  June  arrived  before 
everything  was  brought  forward  to  that  point.     It  was 
soon  after  arranged  that  his  nephew  and  two  others 
should  set  forward  as  a  light  party,  with  a  fortnight's 
provisions,  to  ascertain  the  state  of  the  supplies,  and 
then  return  with  their  report  to  the  main  body,  who 


Ml 


206 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


were  to  proceed  by  slower  marches,  but  more  heavilj 
loaded. 

On  this  laborious  journey  Ross  had  an  opportunity 
of  examining  the  coast,  and  ascertaining  that  the  large 
inlet  in  Brentford  Bay  was  formed  merely  by  a  river, 
and  could  afford  no  passage  to  the  western  sea.  On 
the  25th  of  Juno  he  met  the  advanced  party,  who 
reported  that  thcj''  had  found  three  of  the  boats  washed 
away,  but  enough  still  left  for  their  purpose,  and  all  the 
provisions  in  good  condition.  On  the  1st  of  July  the 
whole  crew  reached  their  destination.  They  imme- 
diately enjoyed  a  hearty  meal,  and  soon  reared  a  canvaa 
mansion,  which  they  named  Somerset  House. 

The  month  of  July  was  spent  in  fitting  out  the  boats, 
which  were  ready  by  the  1st  of  August,  when  there 
appeared  a  considerable  extent  of  open  sea,  cheering 
them  with  the  hope  of  being  able  to  penetrate  through 
Barrow's  Strait  into  Baffin's  Bay,  The  voyage,  how- 
ever, proved  very  difficult ;  masses  of  ice,  still  tossing 
amid  the  waves,  placed  them  sometimes  in  dangerous 
positions  ;  and,  when  they  sought  shelter  on  the  beach, 
it  was  mostly  bordered  by  lofty,  precipitous  cliffs,  from 
which,  at  this  season  of  thaw,  fragments  were  often 
detached,  one  of  which  might  have  crushed  them  to 
pieces.  It  was  the  29th  of  August  before  they  passed 
Cape  Seppings,  and  arrived  at  the  junction  between 
Prince  Regent's  Inlet  and  Barrow's  Strait.  After  sev- 
eral attempts  to  run  along  the  latter,  rendered  fruitless 
by  the  ice,  they  were  obliged  to  haul  the  boats  on  shoie 
and  pitch  their  tents.  There  was  still  time  to  have 
accomplished  their  object ;  but  repeated  surveys  from 
the  neighboring  mountains  convinced  them  that  Bar- 
row's Strait  was  now,  and  had  been  during  the  whole 
summer,  an  impenetrable  mass. 

By  the  24:th  of  September  all  were  agreed  that  no 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


207 


choice  was  left  but  to  return  to  Fury  Beach,  and  there 
spend  their  fourth  Arctic  winter.  Proceeding,  tliere- 
fore  ,„  the  boats,  on  the  80th  of  September  they 
reached  Batty  Bay,  more  than  half  the  distance ;  but 
the  ,ce  rendering  it  impossible  to  sail  further,  they 
hauled  them  on  shore,  and  left  them  above  high-water 
ma  k.  il,en,  carrying  the  provisions  on  sledges,  and 
making  a  somewhat  difficult  journey,  they  arrived,  on 
home  '  ""*  '^'"'*  ^''""^  ''''''  accounted  their 

The  party  suffered,  at  first,  a  good  deal  from  cold 
against  which  their  canvas  covering  afforded  vcr.  im- 
perfect  shelter.     They  contrived,  however,  to  enTelop 
It  in  a  wall  of  snoAV,  and  set  up  an  additional  stove, 
which  was  80  effectual  that  the  heat  of  61»  could  be 
maintained  within.     It  was  necessary  to  make  a  reduc 
tion  in  the  allowance  of  preserved  meats  ;  bread  was 
somewhat  deficient ;  and  the  stock  of  wine  and  spirits 
was  entirely  exhausted.     However,  as  they  had  caught 
a  lew  foxes,   which  were  considered  a  delicacy,   and 
there  was  plenty  of  flour,  sugar,  soups,  and  vegetables 
a  diet  could  bo  easily  arranged  sufficient  to  maintain 
the  party  m  health  and  vigor. 

Tiie  winter,  as  it  advan  °ed,  proved  one  of  great  sever- 
1  y  ;  and   when  the  cold  reached  its  utmost  rigor,  their 
slight  walls  could  no  longer  keep  the  mansion  in  a  com- 
fbr  able  heat.    The  tempestuous  weather  made  it  impos- 
Bible  to  take  exercise  in  the  open  air;  and  at  length 
I.eir  patience  appears  to  have  been  wearied  out  by  this 
long  and  dreary  imprisonment  within  the  Arctic  wastes. 
0.1  the  16th  of  February,  1833,  Thomas,  the  carpenter, 
died  of  scurvy  _  an  event  deeply  regretted  in  itself,  and 
regarded  as  a  warning  of  what  was  too  likely  to  befall 
^e  rest.     Several  of  the  seamen,  in  fact,  became  affected 
with  this  cruel  disease,  of  which  Koss  himself  felt  the 


i   'i 
fa 


i 
)    \ 


1  ;: 


208 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


sure  approach,  by  tho  return  of  pain  in  his  old  wounds. 
Their  situation  was  becoming  truly  awful ;  since,  if  they 
were  not  liberated  in  the  ensuing  suniraor,  little  pros* 
pect  appeared  of  tlioir  surviving  another  year. 

In  April  and  May,  as  soon  as  it  was  possible  to 
travel,  while  yet  the  ice  remained  firm,  it  was  necessary 
to  carry  forward  an  ample  stock  of  provisions  to  the 
position  of  the  boats,  and  there  await  the  opportunities 
of  release.  Though  the  distance  was  only  thirty-two 
miles,  their  reduced  numbers,  and  the  weight  of  the 
loads,  obliged  them  to  go  over  tho  same  ground  eight 
times,  raising  the  space  actually  traversed  to  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty-six  miles  ;  so  that  it  afforded  laborious 
employment  for  a  whole  month.  They  then  returned 
to  Somerset  House,  where  they  remained  till  the  8th  of 
July,  on  which  day  the  whole  party  quitted,  without 
regret,  this  dreary  home,  and,  though  much  encumbered 
by  the  transport  of  the  sick,  arrived,  on  tho  12th,  at 
their  boat-station  in  Batty  Bay. 

The  aspect  of  the  sea  was  now  watched  with  intense 
anxiety,  not  unmingled  with  dread  ;  yet  the  very  habit 
of  observing  and  of  speculating  on  their  prospects  — 
some  daily  mounting  the  neighboring  hill,  and  others 
reviewing  their  report  —  kept  their  spirits  in  a  state  of 
salutary  activity.  The  pursuit  of  feathered  game,  which 
alwa^'s  aflbrded  the  hope,  and  soniotimes  the  reality,  of 
a  good  supper,  also  enlivened  their  time.  A  month 
was  passed  in  vain  expectation ;  when,  at  length,  on 
the  evening  of  the  14th  of  August,  a  lane  of  water  ap- 
peared, leading  to  the  northward.  Next  morning  the 
seamen  were  in  movement  at  an  early  hour  ;  and,  hav- 
ing cleared  the  shore  of  the  ice  that  obstructed  it,  they 
embarked  the  provisions  and  stores,  and  by  eight  o'clock 
were  udder  way,  with  a  favorable  wind. 

At  midnight  they  passed  Elwin's  Bay,  and  on  the 


ROSS'S  SECOND  VOYAGE. 


209 


18th  had  como  to  the  furthest  point  reached  in  the  pre- 
cedinj^  year,  a  spot  whicli  excited  eomo  painful  recolleo 
tioMs.     However,   though  all  passage  to  the  east  was 
closed,  tiiere  was  still  an  open  lane  by  which  they  could 
proceed  northwards.     In  the  evening  of  that  day  they 
were  at  the  north-eastern  point  of  America,  and  beheld 
the  sea  in  that  direction  quite  navigable,  though  encurn- 
bered  with  ice.     At  three  in  the  morning  of  the  Hth 
they  were  in  motion,  making  their  way  through  the 
loose  pieces,  till,    favored  by  a  Houthern  breeze,  they 
turned  the  point  of  the  solid  mass  which  obstructed  tho 
inlet,  and  saw  the  wide  expanse  of  Barrow's  Strait  open 
before  them.     Wafted  on  as  if  by  magic,  they  reached 
the  opposite  shore,  which  they  sailed  along  to  within 
twelve    miles  of  Cape  York,  having  made  in  this  day 
seventy-two  miles.     In  the  two  following  they  passed 
Admiralty  Inlet,  and  came  within  six  or  seven  miles  of 
that  called  Navy  Board  ;  after  which  tliey  were  detained 
four  days  by   contrary  winds,  and  obliged  to  reduce 
their  allowance  of  provisions.     On  the  25th,  however, 
they  could  again  use  their  oars,  and  reached  the  east- 
ern side  of  Navy  Board  Inlet,  where  they  found  a  good 
harbor  for  the  night. 

At  four  in  the  morning  of  the  26th  they  were  roused 
from  sleep  by  the  look-out  man  announcing  "  a  sail," 
which,  viewed  through  a  glass,  proved  evidently  to  be 
a  ship.  All  were  presently  in  motion,  and  their  hopes 
and  fears  were  variously  expressed.  But  they  were 
detaijied  by  calms  and  light  shifting  liirs ;  and,  a  breeze 
springing  up,  the  vessel  made  sail  with  a  rapidity  which 
left  them  hopelessly  behind.  About  ten,  however,  they 
desjried  another,  which  seemed  to  be  lying  to  ;  but  she, 
also,  soon  bore  up  under  all  sail,  and  appeared  to  be 
fast  leaving  them.  Happily,  a  calm  succeeded  ;  and, 
by  hard  rowing,  they  approached  so  near  that  their  sig- 


210 


ROSS'S  SKCONl)  VOYAGE. 


nalH  were  porceivetl,  when  nho  was  aoon  to  houvo  to 
and  lower  a  boat,  which  made  directly  towards  thoin. 

On  its  arrival,  the  mate  in  comnmtul  anked  if  thoj 
wore  in  distruss  and  had  lost  their  veHsel,  profl'ering  his 
aid,  stating,  in  answer  to  tht.'ir  inquiries,  that  ho  be- 
longed to  the  Isabella,  of  Hull,  once  conirniuided  by 
Captain  Ross,  now  by  Captain  IluniphreyH.  On  being 
told  that  the  former  person  stood  before  hitn,  his  brain 
was  Bo  puzzled  tiiat  he  declared  the  cai)tain  must  be 
under  a  nii.stuko,  as  he  had  certainly  been  dead  two 
years.  When  satLsfied,  however,  of  the  contrary,  and 
that  he  was  in  the  presence  of  the  long-absent  naviga- 
tor, he  oflerod  his  hearty  congratulations. 

Such  was  th(!  cirect  of  previous  iianlship,  that  few  of 
Ross's  men  could  sleep  on  a  bed  ;  and  omo  time  was 
necessary  to  enable  them  to  enjoy  this  and  other  accom- 
modations  of  ordinary  life. 

On  tli(>  30th  of  September,  1833,  the  Isabella  left 
Davis's  Straits,  and  on  the  11th  of  October  reached 
Stromiicss,  in  Orkney.  On  Koss's  lauding  at  Hull,  on 
the  18th,  such  crowds  were  attracted  that  he  could  with 
difficulty  reach  the  inn.  Ho  proceeded  next  day  to 
Loudon,  and,  having  reported  himself  to  the  Admiralty, 
was  presented,  on  the  morrow,  to  his  majesty  at 
Windsor 


/}.C\^ 


-:j^  '"^'H,n/h:^^^ 


TUK   PTAKUIUAN 


CHAPTER  X. 

iACK'.LAMO  «X,.KD.T,0.,._AKU,VAL  AT  K0.1T  W.LMAU.  -  ANWDOt.  «, 
A  ...OK  PA..rV.-K.UVKM..-..K.V.Ur.-A«CK«T  Or  H.VKH,.  - 
AVLMK,.  ..AK«._W.NrKU  «..  HTKUH.  _  HTAUV.NO  .ND.ANH.  _  ,„«„ 
t0..i..  _  .NKWS  OK  UOHS'H  HAKKTV.  _  KXVmt  CANOK-MAN.  -  B.gO.MAU, 
ni.*|.NDH.  -TUK  TULKW-KB-CI.O...  -THK  POLAU  8KA.  -  HKTUUN  TO  K««. 
LAND. -BACK  H  VOfAUK  ,N  TI.K  TKUKOU.  _  ,,KM  A..K  AULH  •■En.LB  AllOX. 
THK  IPK.  -.,OMK.,VAUD  HOUND.  _  OKABB  AND  ILUP^ON-g  mBCOVKBU.. 

Ro88'8  protractoa  stay  of  tour  years  in  the  inl.oHpita- 
Me  north  .riducod  tho  govornmont  to  Hond  out  an  expe- 
<litio„  to  look   for  tlio  abHont    party.     Hack,  who  was 
then  in  Italy,  hurriod  homo  to  volunteer  hi^  Hcrvices  •  his 
oHcr  wa«  accepted  ;  and  with  l>r.  King,  snrgeon  and 
naturalist,  ho  left  England  in  February,  1833.     At  Mon- 
troal   ho  engaged   three  artillery-men    and  Komo   voya- 
geurs,  and  embarked  on  the  St.  Lawrence  in  two  canoes 
At  the  Sault  de  Ste  Mary,  on  the  1 1th  of  May,  they  pur- 
chased a  third  canoe,  and  commenced  coasting  along 
the  northern  shores  of  Lake  Superior.     On   the  20th 
they  arrived  at  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  establish- 
ment, Port  William. 

Passing  tho  height  of  land  which  separates  the  waters 
will,  h  flow  into  Lake  Superior  from  those  which  enter 
Hudson's  Hay.  the  three  canoes  proceeded  rapidly  on 
their  ever-changing  and  romantic  route,  at  times  dash- 
ing down  rapids,  then  crossing  small  lakes,  or  making 
«low  progivss  ah.ng  small  and  shallow  rivers,  so  that 
portages  were  often  necessary. 


214 


BACK'S  LAND  EXPEDITION. 


It  is  related  by  Back,  that,  not  many  years  ago,  » 
c»noe  was  pursuing  its  way  quietly  down  one  of  the 
streams  through  which  the  Arctic  exploring  party  was 
now  passing.  It  was  approaching  one  of  the  many  port- 
ages with  which  these  streams  abound,  and  the  bowman 
and  steersman  were  standing  erect  at  stem  and  stern, 
casting  quick  glances  ahead  and  on  either  side  as  they 
neared  tlie  waterfall  which  obstructed  their  progress 
The  approach  to  the  landing-place  was  somewhat  diffi- 
cult, ow'ng  to  a  point  of  rocks  which  projected  into  the 
stream,  in  the  direction  of  the  fall,  and  round  which 
point  it  was  necessary  to  steer  with  some  dexterity,  in 
order  to  avoid  being  drawn  into  the  strong  current. 
The  fearless  guides,  however,  had  often  passed  the 
place  in  former  years  in  safety,  and,  accordingly,  dashed 
at  the  point  with  reckless  indiflerence,  their  paddles 
flinging  a  circle  of  spray  over  their  heads,  as  they 
changed  them  from  side  to  side,  with  graceful  but  vigor- 
ous rapidity.  The  swift  stream  carried  them  quickly 
round  the  point  of  danger,  and  they  had  almost  reached 
the  quiet  eddy  near  the  landing-place,  when  the  stem 
of  the  canoe  was  caught  by  the  stream,  which  in  an 
instant  whirled  thom  out  from  the  shore,  and  carried 
them  downwards  with  fearful  rapidity.  Another  mo- 
ment, and  the  gushing  waters  dragged  them,  despite 
their  most  frantic  eflbrts,  to  the  verge  of  the  waterfall, 
which  thundered  and  foamed  among  frightful  chasms 
and  rocks  many  feet  below.  The  stem  of  the  canoe 
overhung  the  abyss,  and  now  the  vuijar/t'urn  plied  their 
paddles  with  the  desperation  of  men  who  felt  that  their 
lives  depended  on  the  exertions  of  that  terrible  minute. 
For  a  second  or  two  the  canoe  remained  stationary,  anc' 
seemed  to  tremble  on  the  brink  of  destruction ;  and  then, 
inch  by  inch,  it  began  slowly  to  ascend  the  stream. 
The  danger  was  past !     A  few  more  nervous  strokes, 


1   -i 


A  Pall  TiiRouaH  a  Crevasse. 


[215J 


BACK'S  LAND  EXPEDITION.  217 

*nd  the  trembline  barlr  nhnt  i;i,^ 

o  ^"^^  "'^6  aa  arrow  out  of  fho 

lunng  these  short  seconds,  in  the  bosoms  of  thTcare' 
On  the  6th  of  June  the  canoes  arrived  at  Fort  Alex 

w  .Tpr/'n?'  r  ^  ^^"^'^^'•"  ^^^-"^^^^  «^^^k« 

and  Mr  ?5,  ^^^^^"«^  S->P««n-     Inuring  this  period 
.0  and  Mr.  king  made  some  observations  on  the  dip  of 
he  needle,  while  the  men  busied  themselves  in  unpack 
.»g  and  drying  the  provisions  and  packages.  ^ 

The  mosquitos  here  were  very  numerous  and  annoy, 
even  fho  *^;'"^^"^«'  "«-  ^he  lakes.  Back  says,  that 

this  t    m     .        -  '"  '"*  '""^"^"  "'^'  -^y  «f  ^-aping 
.8  torment.ng  msect.     Their  usual  mode  is  to  throw 

with  pam.     Back  thought  of  killing  them  by  smoke  • 

that  he  should  be  so  unlike  the  old  chief,  who  would 
not  destroy  a  single  mosqnito."  By  the  "old  chief" 
was  meant  Sir  Tohn  Franklin,  of  whom  Back  says  :   ''  It 

iTv  tllT'"^  T'"  *"  '"'  '  '^  •  ^"^'  ^'-"^''  teased 
y  thom  beyond  expression,  especially  when  engaged 

aking  observations,  he  would  quietly  desist  from  his 

u  u.k,  and  pa  lently  blow  the  half-gorged  intruders  from 

h.s  Lands:  'the  worid  was  wide  enough  for  both  '  " 

Leaving  Fort  Alexander  on  the  11th  of  June   Back 

coasted  Lake  Winipeg,  toward  Norway  Ilotise  where 

he  arrived  on  the  Uth.     Here  he  obtained  the  requisite 

e.mber  of  voyagours  and   attendants,  amounting  f. 


218 


BACK'S  LAND  EXPEDITION. 


eigliteen  in  all ;  and,  in  high  spirits,  they  started  for  iheh 
winter  quarters  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Great  Shive 
Lake. 

On  the  2l8t  of  July  they  arrived  at  Portage  La  Loche, 
the  high  ridge  of  land  which  divides  the  waters  running 
into  Hudson's  Bay  from  those  flowing  into  the  Arctic 
Ocean.  Here  they  had  to  carry  their  canoe  and  bag- 
gage over  the  ridge,  a  distance  of  fourteen  miles — a 
tedious  labor,  wliich  consumed  eight  days. 

Of  the  scenery  at  this  place  Mr.  King  says:  "  Within 
a  mile  of  the  termination  of  the  portage,  a  most  exten- 
sive and  magnificent  scene  burst  upon  our  view,  and  we 
discovered  ourselves,  through  an  opening  in  the  trees, 
to  be  on  a  hill  upwards?  of  a  thousand  feet  high,  and  at 
the  brink  of  a  tremendous  precipice.  We  were  cer- 
tainly prepared  to  expect  an  extensive  prospect,  bat  tlws 
beautiful  landscape  before  us  was  far  superior  to  any- 
thing that  could  be  anticipated  from  the  nature  of  the 
country  wc  had  hitherto  seen.  At  a  depth  of  two 
hundred  fathoms  below  the  summit  on  which  we  stood, 
the  Clear  Water  River  was  to  be  seen  winding  its  ser- 
pentine course  in  beautiful  meanders  for  thirty  miles, 
broken  here  and  there,  and  interrupted  by  intervening 
woods  ;  while 


'  the  tall  pines  dwindled  as  to  >hrabe. 

In  dizziueps  of  distance  ! ' 


"  The  valley,  at  once  refreshed  and  adorned  by  the 
smooth  pellucid  stream,  was  embanked  by  two  parallel 
chains  of  hills  extending  towards  the  west,  till  it  becatno 
lost  in  the  purple  hue  of  distance.  The  inclining  heights, 
here  and  there  covered  with  stately  forests,  and  occa 
sionally  interspersed  with  barren  spots  or  promontories  of 
the  most  luxuriant  verdure,  were  beautifully  contrasted 


BACK'S  LAND  EXPEDITION.  219 

with  the  icinerated  tinge  which  overspread  vast  tracts 
of  couutry  whore  once  the  dense  forests  had  been  cou- 
Bunied  by  fire." 

The  party  arrived  at  Fort  Chipewyan  the  29th  of 
July  ;  at  Fort  Resolution,  on  Great  Slave  Lake,  the  8th 
of  August.  Here,  having  obtained  all  possible  informa- 
tion from  the  Indians  relative  to  the  course  of  the 
northern  rivers  of  which  he  was  in  search,  he  divided 
his  men  into  two  parties,  five  being  left  as  an  escort  for 
Mr.  McLeod,  and  four  being  appointed  to  accompany 
himself  m  search  of  the  Thlew-ee-choh  or  Great  Fish 
River,  since  named  after  Back  himself. 

On  the  19th  of  August,  Back  and  his  men  began  th„ 
ascent  of  the  Hoar  Frost  River.  Its  course  was  a  series 
of  the  most  fearful  cascades  and  rapids.  Almost  im- 
pervious  woods  of  stunted  firs,  bogs,  and  swamps 
occasioned  great  trouble  to  the  party.  They  arrived  at 
ength,  in  an  open  space,  where  the  scene  was  one'  of 
barrenness  and  desolation  :  crag  was  piled  upon  cra^ 
to  the  height  of  two  thousand  feet  from  the  base,  and 
the  course  of  the  river  here,  in  a  state  of  contraction 
was  marked  by  an  uninterrupted  line  of  foam. 

Rapid  now  succeeded  rapid  ;  scarcely  had  the  party 
surmounted  one  fall  than  another  presented  itself,  rising 
like  an  amphitheatre  before  them   to  the  height  of  fifty 
feet.     They,  however,  gained  at  length  the  ascent  of 
this  turbulent  and  unfriendly  river,  the  romantic  beauty 
and  wild  scenery  of  which  were  very  remarkable  ;   and 
after  passing  successively  a  series  of  portages,  rapids' 
(oils,  lakes,  and  rivers,  on  the  27th  Back  observed  froni 
(ho  summit  of  a  high  hill  a  very  large  lake,  full  of  deep 
bays  and  islands,  and  which  has  been  named  Aylme. 
Lake,    after   the   Governor-General   of  Canada  at  that 
tune.     The  boat  was  sent  out,  with  three  men,  to  search 
fur  the  lake,  or  outlet  of  the  river     which  they  discov 


,     I! 


220 


BACK'S  LAND  EXPEDITION. 


ered  on  the  second  day,  and  Back  himself,  during  their 
absence,  also  accidentally  discovered  its  source  in  th« 
Sand  Ilill  Lake,  not  far  from  his  encampment.  Yielding 
to  that  pleasurable  emotion  which  discoverer."  in  the 
first  bound  of  their  transport,  may  be  pardc  i'  ..  .'  'U- 
dulging,  Back  threw  himself  down  on  the  L-  ^.id 
drank  a  hearty  draught  of  the  limpid  water. 

On  the  30th  of  August  they  begaji  to  move  toward 
(he  river,  but,  on  reaching  Musk-ox  Lake,  it  was  found 
impossible  to  stand  the  force  of  the  rapids  in  their  frail 
canoe,  and,  as  winter  was  approaching,  their  return  to 
the  rendezvous  on  Slave  Lake  was  determined  on.  At 
Clinton  Golden  Lake  some  Indians  visited  them  from  the 
chief  Akaitcho,  who  had  been  a  guide  of  Sir  John 
Franklin.  Two  of  these  Indians  remembered  Back,  one 
having  accompanied  him  to  the  Coppermine  River  on 
Franklin's  first  expedition.  At  the  Cat  or  Artillery 
Lake  they  had  to  abandon  their  canoe,  and  perform  the 
rest  of  the  journey  on  foot  over  precipitous  rocks, 
through  frightful  gorges  and  ravines,  heaped  with 
masses  of  granite,  and  along  narrow  ledges,  where  a 
false  stop  would  have  been  fatal.  At  Fort  Reliance  the 
party  found  Mr.  McLeod  had,  during  their  absence, 
erected  the  frame-work  of  a  comfortable  residence  for 
them,  and  all  hands  set  to  work  to  complete  it.  After 
many  obstacles  and  difficulties,  it  was  finished.  Dr. 
King  joined  them  on  the  16th  of  September,  with  two 
laden  batteaux. 

On  the  5th  of  November  they  exchanged  their  cold 
tents  for  tlie  now  house,  which  was  fifty  feet  long  by 
thirty  broad,  and  contained  four  rooms,  besides  a  spa- 
cious hall  in  the  centre,  for  the  reception  and  accommo- 
dation of  the  Indians,  to  which  a  sort  of  rude  kitcher. 
was  attached. 

An  observatory  was  constructed  at  a  short  distance, 


BACK'S   LAND   EXPEDITION 


221 


Knerein  certa.n  mysterious  and  complicated  instrumenta 
were  fixed  and  erected  ;  iron  in  all  forms  being  carefully 
excluded   and  a  fence  run  round  it  to  guard  it  more  vf. 
loctualiy  from  the  men,  as  they  walked  about  with  their 
M-uns,  ice-chisels,  and  axes.     Here  Back  and  Mr  Kinjr 
"se<l  to  sit  in  solemn  conclave  for  many  an  hour  during 
the  winter,  closely  observing  the  various  interostin!; 
phenomena  of  earth  and  sky;  and  awfully  mysterious 
did  this  building  appear  to  the  simple  Indians  and  voy- 
Hgeurs.     They  would  approach  as  near  as  they  dared 
and  with  their  arms  folded,  brows  knit,  and  heads  down' 
would  stand  for  hours  wondering  at  the  dead  silence  of 
Its  occupants,   broken  only  at  long  intervals  by  such 
exclamatu.ns  as  "now  "  -  "  stop  "  -insomuch  that  they 
at  ast,  after  very  mature  and  grave  deliberation,  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  they  were  "  raising  the  devil '  " 
As  the  winter  advanced  bands  of  starving  Indians 
continued   to   arrive,  in   the   hope  of  obtaining  some 
relief,  as  little  or  nothing  was  to  be  procured  by  hunt- 
ing.    They  would  stand  around  while  the  men  were 
taking  their  meals,  watching  every  mouthful  with  the 
most  longing,  imploring  look,  but  yet  never  uttering  a 
•  omplaint.  * 

At  other  times  they  would,  seated  round  the  fire 
occupy  themselves  in  roasting  and  devouring  small  bits 
ot  their  reindeer  garments,  which    even  when  entire, 
afforded  them  a  very  insufficient  protection  against  a 
t.>mperaturo  of  102°  below  freezing  point. 

The  suflerings  of  the  poor  Indians  at  this  period  are 
described  as  frightful.  "  Famine,  with  her  gaunt  and 
l>')iiy  arm,"  says  Hack,  "  pursued  tliem  at  every  turn 
withered  their  energies,  and  strewed  them  lifeless  on 
the  cold  bosom  of  the  snow."  It  was  impossible  to 
afford  relief  out  of  their  scanty  store  to  all,  but  even 
small  portions  of  the  mouldy  pemmican  intended  for 


222 


BACK'S  LAND  EXPEDITION. 


the  dogs,  unpalatable  as  it  was,  were  gladly  received, 
and  saved  many  from  perishing.  "Often,"  adds  Buck, 
"  did  I  share  my  own  plate  with  the  children,  whose 
helpless  state  and  piteous  cries  were  peculiarly  distress- 
ing. Compassion  for  the  full-grown  may  or  may  not 
be  felt,  but  that  heart  must  be  cased  in  steel  which  is 
insensible  to  the  cry  of  a  child  for  food." 

To  add  to  the  distress  of  Back,  he  received  informa- 
tion that  his  friend  Augustus,  the  affectionate  Esquimaux 
interpreter  who  had  accompanied  him  on  a  former  jour- 
ney, hearing  of  his  being  again  in  the  country,  set  out 
from  Hudson's  Bay,  in  company  with  a  Canadian  and  an 
Iroquois  ;  they  lost  their  way,  were  separated,  and  poor 
Augustus  fell  a  sacrifice  to  famine.  His  remains  were 
found  on  the  barrens  not  far  from  the  Riviere  k  Jean. 
It  appeared  that  the  gallant  little  fellow  was  retracing 
his  steps  to  the  establishment,  when,  either  exhausted 
by  suffering  and  pi-ivation,  or  caught  in  the  midst  of  an 
open  traverse  in  one  of  those  terrible  snow-storms, 
which  may  be  almost  said  to  blow  through  the  frame, 
he  had  sunk  to  rise  no  more.  "  Such,"  says  Back, 
"  was  the  miserable  end  of  poor  Augustus!  a  faithful, 
disinterested,  kind-hearted  creature,  wlio  had  won  the 
regard,  not  of  myself  only,  but,  I  may  add,  of  Sir  John 
Franklin  and  Dr.  Richardson  also,  by  qualities  which, 
wherever  found,  in  the  lowest  as  in  the  highest  forma 
of  social  life,  are  the  ornament  and  charm  of  humanity." 

At  this  critical  juncture,  Akaitcho  made  his  appear- 
ance with  an  opportune  supply  of  a  little  meat,  which 
in  some  measure  enabled  Back  to  relieve  the  sufferers 
around  him,  many  of  whom,  to  his  great  delight,  went 
away  with  Akaitcho  The  stock  of  meat  was  soon  ex 
hausted,  and  they  had  to  open  their  pemmican.  The 
officers  contented  themselves  with  the  short  supply  of 
half  a  pound  a  day,  but  the  laboring  men  could  not  do 


BACK'S  LAND  EXPEDITION 


223 


With  less  than  a  pound  and  three  quarters.     The  cold 
now  set  in  with  an  intensity  which  Back  had  never  be- 
fore experienced,  —  the  thenno.neter,  on    the    17th  of 
January,  being  TO'  below  zero.     "Such,  indeed,"  he 
Bays,   "  was  the  abstraction  of  heat,  that,  with  eiLrht 
large  logs  of  dry  wood  on  the  fire.  I  could  not  get  the 
thermometer  higher  than    12»    below   zero.     Ink   and 
paint  froze.     The  sextant  cases  and  boxes  of  seasoned 
wood,  principally  fir,  all  split.     The  skin  of  the  hands 
became  dry,  cracked,  and  opened   into   unsightly  aid 
smarting  gashes,  which  we  were  obliged  to  anoint  with 
grease.     On  one  occasion,  after  washing  my  face  within 
three  feet  of  the  fire,  my  hair  was  actually  clotted  with 
ice  before  I  had  time  to  dry  it." 

The  hunters  suffered  severely  from  the  intensity  of 
the  cold,  and  compared  the  sensation  of  handling  their 
guns  to  that  of  touching  red-hot  iron  ;  and  so  excessive 
was  the  pain,  that  they  were  obliged  to  wrap  thongs  of 
leather  round  the  triggers,  to  keep  their  fingers  from 
coming  into  contact  with  the  steel. 

The  sufferings  which  the  party  now  endured  were 
great,  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  exemplary  conduct 
of  Akaitcho  in  procuring  them  game,  it  is  to  be  doubted 
whether  any  would  have  survived  to  tell  the  misery 
they  had  endured.  The  sentiments  of  this  worthy  sav- 
age  were  nobly  expressed  —  "  The  great  chief  trusts  in 
us,  and  It  18  better  that  ten  Indians  perish  than  that  one 
white  man  should  perish  through  our  negligence  and 
breach  of  faith." 

About  the  middle  of  April  preparations  were  begun 
for  their  intended  journey  to  the  sea-coast ;  but  on  the 
25th  a  messenger  arrived  bringing  to  Back  the  welcome 
intelligence  of  the  safety  of  Ross  and  his  party.  His 
feelings  at  this  news  are  thus  described:  "In  the  ful- 
ness of  our  hearts,  we  assembled,  and  humbly  offered 


i 


IT  ■ 


I' 


224 


BACK'S   LAND   EXrEDniON. 


,1 , 

up  our  thanks  to  that  morciful  Providcnct  which,  in 
the  beautiful  language  of  Scripture,  hath  said,  '  Aliuo 
uwn  will  1  hriug  again,  as  I  did  sometime  from  the 
deeps  of  the  sea.'  " 

On  the  7th  of  June,  Back  and  Mr.  King  left  Fort  Re- 
liance for  the  Polar  Sea.  Their  boat,  thirty  feet  long, 
was  placed  on  runners,  and  dragged  over  the  yet  un- 
melted  ice  of  the  lakes  and  swamps.  A  singular  fact 
in  regard  to  temperature  is  mentioned.  About  the  end 
of  May,  just  before  they  set  out,  the  weather  was  sub 
try,  the  temperature  in  the  sun  being  106°!  an  extraor- 
dinary contrast  to  that  of  January  Hth,  when  it  was 
70°  below  zero.  They  now  experienced  some  cold  and 
foggy  weather.  McLeod,  with  a  party  of  Indians,  was 
sent  on  ahead  to  hunt  and  make  caches  of  the  meat,  to 
be  picked  up  as  the  main  party  behind  came  up  to 
them. 

On  the  28th  of  June  they  were  fairly  launched  on  the 
head  waters  of  the  Thlew-ec-choh.  From  this  time  til! 
their  approach  to  the  sea,  a  constant  succession  of  falls, 
and  rapids,  and  cataracts,  more  or  less  obstructed  their 
progress,  and,  as  Back  says,  "  made  him  hold  his  breath, 
expecting  to  see  the  boat  dashed  to  shivers  against 
some  protruding  rocks  amid  the  foam  and  fury  at  the 
foot  of  a  rapid."  In  passing  down  one  of  these,  where 
the  river  was  full  of  large  rocks  and  bov/lders,  the  boat 
was  obliged  to  be  lightened  ;  and  Back  says,  " ''.  stood 
on  a  high  rock,  with  an  anxious  heart,  to  see  her  lun  it. 
Away  they  went  with  the  speed  of  an  arrow,  and  in  a 
moment  the  foam  and  rocks  hid  them  from  my  view.  I 
Iieard  what  sounded  in  my  ear  like  a  wild  shriek  :  I  fol- 
lowed with  an  agitation  which  may  be  conceived,  and, 
to  my  inexpressible  joy,  found  that  the  shriek  was  th« 
triumphant  whoop  of  the  crew,  who  had  landed  safely 
ill  a  small  bay  below."     In  short,  strong  and  heavy 


ifc 


BACK'S  LAND  EXl'EDITION. 


22b 


'ap.ds,  with  falls  and  whirlpools,  kept  tho  men,  for 
"ighty  or  ninety  milfe.  iu  a  constant  state  of  exertion 
and  anxioty.  . 

n«'  gives  an  instance,  on  one  occasion,  of  tho  consura- 
mute  sJnllol  De  Cl.arloit.  a  halfbreed  can„e-r..an,  who 

rar  our  rickety  and  nliattered  canoe  down  four  success- 
've  rap.ds   which,  under  less  able  n.anaj,^ement,  would 
have  whirled  it,  and  everybody  in  it,  to  certain  destruc- 
tion      Nothing  could   exceed   the  self-possession  and 
nicety  of  judgment  with  which  he  guided  the  Irail  thing 
along  the  narrow  line  botwe  n  the  high  waves  of  the 
orrent  and  the  returning  eddy.     A  foot  in  either  direc 
tion  would  have  been  fatal ;  but,  with  the  most  perfect 
eaBe,  and,  I  may  add,  elegant  and  graceful  action,  his 
keen  eyes  fixed  upon  the  run,  he  kept  her  true  to  her 
course  through  all  its  rapid  windings  " 

On  the  13th  of  July  a  gli.npse  of  sunshine  tempted 
he  captain  to  halt  for  the  purpose  of  taking  observa- 

nonHu'f ;  "  *''  "'"  ^'^"^  ^"^'^^«^'  ^''^  "-"  -«re 

permitted  to  scour  the  country  in  pursuit  of  deer  and 

musk-oxen     which    literally   swarmed    in    the    ban-en 

grounds      Ihe   hunters  soon  returned   with   four  fine 

bucks,  which  afforded  them  an  agreeable  change  from 

the  customary  meal  of  pemmican 

a/or' w '"'^.VT  ^'^  '^'  ^^"  ^^  ^"'^  '^"ffJtude  106- 

casterlvT;    ,       ^  •".  ^^""'  *''"  '''''  ^'^'^  ^«  ^-^e  an 
casteily  bend,  which  perplexed  them  much;    causing 

tCr'T'^r''  to  whether  it  would  ultimately  lead 
hem  to  the  Frozen  Sea,  or  terminate  in  Hudson's  Bay 

In  any  case,  they  had  nothing  for  it  but  to  push  on  ;  and 
he.r    abors  were  rewarded  by  their  finding  that  the 

nver  trended  again  in  a  northerly  direction  and  their 
opes  wero  further  increased  by  the  discovl-ry.  on  the 

H|th  of  July,  of  some   old   Esquimaux   encampments. 

On..,  indeed,  they  thought  they  saw  tents  of  the  Esqui- 


220 


BACK'S   L;VWD   EXI'EDITION. 


Diiiux  alioud  ;  but,  on  a  neiirer  iipproach,  they  tiiiiiotl  oul 
to  1)0  suiue  luxiiriiiiit  cluinpH  of  willi»w8,  wliidi  wc^t 
liihiibitcd  by  thouHiviidn  of  ^cfHo,  wliich  liiitl  HcUtoleil  the 
spot  u«  convi'iiioiit  for  tho  opt'iiitioii  of  caHtiiig  th  i 
fciithnrH,  ThniisuiulH  upon  thouHaiiiiH  of  the  most  excel' 
h'ut  quilirt  were  found  scuttered  over  the  sund.  A  euri- 
ouH  feature  in  tliis  part  of  the  country  was  the  number 
of  huge  bowlder-HtoneH,  not  only  in  tlie  river,  but  on 
tlie  very  pinnacles  of  tiie  liij^iie^t  iiillH. 

On  the  28th  of  July  they  met  tho  fuHt  Escpn^naux, 
who,  as  usual  on  tlieir  first  seeing  Kuropeans,  exliibiteij 
consternation  by  shouts,  yells,  anti'is,  and  gesticula- 
tions ;  under  the  impression,  appan-ntly,  that  by  so 
doing  they  would  frighten  their  new  vifulors  away. 
The  boat  continued  tit  approach  the  shore,  despite  tiio 
brandishing  of  spears  and  other  belligerent  demonstra- 
tions ;  whereupon  the  whole  nation  formed  in  a  semi- 
circlo  round  the  spot  where  the  boat  grounded,  and 
stood  on  the  <lefeu8ive.  Back,  however,  soon  estal)- 
lished  friendly  relations  with  them,  by  walking  boldly 
up,  unarmed,  and  alone,  at  the  same  time  calling  out 
Tima  —  peace  —  with  great  emphasis,  tossing  up  his 
arms  in  true  Esquimaux  style,  and,  tiiuilly,  shaking 
hands  all  iound.  This  quieted  them,  and  they  soon 
mingled  with  the  men,  from  whom  they  received  a  few 
buttons  with  great  delight. 

A  portage  had  to  be  made  at  this  place,  and  tho 
Esquimaux  here  aided  them  in  transporting  their  boats, 
to  which  Back's  party  were  wholly  unequal ;  so  that  to 
the  natives  he  was  indebted  for  getting  to  the  sea  at 

all. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  while  threading  their  course  be- 
tw(;en  some  sandbanks,  with  a  strong  current,  they  first 
raught  sight  of  a  majestic  headland  in  the  extreme  dis- 
tance to  the  north,  which  had  a  coast-like  appearance. 


BACK'S  LAND  EXPEDITION. 


227 


TI..8  .mportan    promontory  Buck  Hul.scqucntly  named 
V,ctorm.      .  Tins,  then,"  obncrveH  Hack,  "  muy  I.c  con- 
Bulore.1  as  tho  „,n„,h  of  tho  Thiow.eo-cl.oh,  which,  after 
a  violent  and  tortuouH  course  of  five  h-.ndred  and  thirty 
geographical  mih^H,    running    through    an    iron-rihheil 
country,  without  a  Ringlo  tree  on  the  whole  line  of  itn 
banks,  cxpan.ling  into  live  large  lakes,  with  clear  horizon. 
mo«t  end.arraHsinff  to  tho  navigator,  and  l.n.ken  into 
fallB,  cascades,  and   rapids,   to   the   number  of  eighty- 
three  in  tho  whole,  pours  its  water  into  the  Polar  Sea 
•"  lat.  670  11'  N.,  an.l  long.  91«  30'  VV.,  that  is  to  say' 
about  thirty-seven  miles  more  south  tha.i  tho  mouth  of 
tl.e  Coppermine  River,  and  nineteen  miles  n.oro  south 
than  that  of  Back's  River,  at  the  lower  extremity  of 
Bathurst's  Inlet."  ^ 

For  several  days  Back  was  able  to  make  but  slow 
progress  along  the  eastern  shore,  in  consequence  of  tho 
Bohd  body  of  drirt-i(;e.     A   barren,  rocky  elevation  of 
eight  hundred  feet  high  was  named  Capo  Beaufort      A 
I'lufl- point  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  estuary,  which  ho 
considered  to  be  the  northern  •  xtreme.  he  named  Cape 
Hay.     Dease  and  Simpson,  however,  in  1839.  traced  the 
Bhore  much  beyond  this.     The  difficulties  met  with  here 
began  to  dispirit  the  men.     They  were  almost  without 
water,  without  any  means  of  warmth,  or  any  kind  of 
warm  or  comforting  food,  and  sinking  knee-deep    as 
they  proceeded  on  land,  in    tho  soft  slush  and  snow. 
So  damp  was   the  weather   that   for   ten   days,   while 
encamped  on  Montreal  Island,  they  could  not  light  a 
ppark  of  fire,  or  obtain  a  warm  meal. 

The  low,  flat  country  was  the  picture  of  desolation. 
"  It  was  one  irregular  plain  of  sand  and  stones :  and. 
had  It  not  been  for  a  rill  of  water,  the  meandering  nf 
which  relieved  the  monotony  cl  the  sterile  scene,  one 
might  have  fancied  one's  self  in  one  of  the  parched 


Ml 


M 


228 


BACK'S  LAND  EXPEDITION. 


11" ; 


■ii.    i- 


plains  of  the  East,  rather  than  on  the  shores  of  tho 
Arctic  Sea." 

With  unflinching  ardor  did  Bacii  push  forward,  in  tho 
hope  of  reaching  a  more  open  sea,  and  connecting  their 
discoveries  with  those  of  Captain  Franklin  at  Point 
Turnagain.  On  the  7th  of  August  they  reached  the 
extreme  point  of  land  which  terminates  the  wide  mouth 
of  the  river,  and  whence  the  coast  trends  to  the  west- 
ward. This  was  named  Point  Ogle,  and  another  cape, 
seen  far  to  tiie  west,  was  named  Point  Richardson. 
Several  portions  of  the  coast  of  Boothia  Felix  were  also 
seen  in  the  distance  to  the  northward.  Here  they  were 
completely  baffled  in  every  attempt  to  advance.  Back 
sent,  however,  a  small  party  to  the  westward  to  trace 
the  coast,  which  was  all  that  could  be  done  ;  but  they 
were  only  able  to  follow  the  shore  about  fifteen  miles 
The  surface  was  level,  and  void  of  vegetation.  They 
found,  however,  several  pieces  of  drilt-wood,  one  of 
which  was  nine  feet  long  and  nine  inches  in  diameter, 
which  the  men  jocularly  called  "  a  piece  of  the  north 
pole." 

Back  now  resolved  to  retrace  his  steps.  Before 
doing  so,  however,  the  British  flag  was  unfurled,  and 
the  land  taken  possession  of,  with  three  entiiusiastic 
cheers,  in  the  name  of  Ilis  Majesty  William  IV.  Tlie 
latitude  of  the  place  was  68°  13"  57"  N.,  longitude  94« 
68'  1"  W. 

In  the  middle  of  August  they  left  the  cold  precincts 
of  the  Arctic  Sea.  In  retracing  his  route  Back  ascended 
tiie  high  grounds  which  divide  the  northern  from  the 
Boutheni  streams.  The  Aylmer,  the  Artillery,  and  tho 
Clinton  Colden  Lakes  embellish  the  landscape,  and 
discharge  tiieir  waters  into  the  Great  Slave  Lake. 
Here  he  found  a  splendid  cascade,  of  which  he  says  : 
"  The  color  of  the  w»tor  varied  from  a  very  light  to  a 


BACK'S  LAND  EXPEDITION.  229 

^ery  dark  green  ;  and  the  spray,  which  spread  a  dim 
ness  above  was  thrown  up  in  clouds  o?  light  gray 
o/1?^r  '"''''' •'''*"^  i„  Hood's  River  the  falh 
fllU  ul  ;  "r  '-''''  ^"P^"^'-'  '^'  Swiss  or  Italian 
falls  although  they  may  each  'charm  the  eye  with 
dread,  are  not  to  be  compared  to  this  for  sple'ndor  of 
euect.  It  was  the  most  imposing  spectacle  I  had  ever 
witnessed;  and,  as  its  berg-like  appearance  brought  to 
m.nd  assoc  ations  of  another  scene,  I  bestowed  up  n   t 

atd  ■  T7  ;r  "'f '"^^'  '"^^^^^-'  S- Edward  Parr^ 
and  called  it  Parry's  Falls."  ^ 

Of  the  Indians.  Back  gives,  in  his  narrative,  some 
interesting  anecdotes. 

JZ%r"^'"^  ""['^  *'•'  ^''"'"''^'  ^«  Mandeville,  a 
pot^.t  Chipewyan  chief,  regarding  the  due  observance 
of  cer  am  moral  precepts  for  his  future  guidance  the 
chjef  hstened  with  most  profound  attention^and  g  a;it 
When  Back  had  concluded,  he  raised  his  head  a  litUe* 
and,  wUh  eyes  fixed  on  the  floor,  said,  in  a  low  aid 
Bolemn  tone.  "  The  chief's  words  have  sunk  dee^  in"o 
njy  heart  and  I  shall  often  think  of  them  when  V  am 
alone.     It  .s  true  that  I  am  ignorant;  but  I  never  i™ 
down  at  night  in  n.y  lodge  without  whispering  to  the 
Great  bpa-,t  a  prayer  for  forgiveness,  if  I  have  done  any. 
ihing  wrong  that  day."  ^ 

On  the  17th  of  September  the  return  party  met  Mr 
McLeod  according  to  appointment,  at  Sandy-Hill  Bay' 

He  had  long  been  expecting  them,  and  hau  spent  many 
an  anxious  hour  in  watching  the  distant  objects  in  the 
direction  of  their  route.     With    this   gentleman    th  y 

eturned  to  Fort  Reliance,  where  they  arrived  on  the 
^<  h.     after  an  absence  of  nearly  four  months;  tired 
nidoed    ,ut  well  in  health,  and  truly  grateful  for  The 
man  fold  morces  we  had  experienced  in  the  course  of 
our  long  and  perilous  journey." 


■   H'i 


230 


BACK'S  VOYAGE  IN  THE  TERROR. 


Preparations  were  soon  set  on  foot  to  spend  anotbei 
winter  in  the  wilderness.  Once  more  the  woods 
resounded  with  the  woodman's  axe,  and  the  little  rooms 
glowed  with  the  blazing  fires  of  wood.  Again  the  nets 
were  set  and  the  guns  loaded,  and  the  white  man  and 
the  red  ranged  the  woods  in  company  ;  while  Back  and 
Mr,  King  found  ample  and  interesting  occupation  in 
mapping  their  discoveries  and  writing  their  journals. 
On  the  28th  of  May,  1835,  Back  bade  adieu  to  the  polar 
regions,  and  returned  to  England,  where  he  arrived  on 
the  8th  of  September,  after  an  absence  of  two  years  and 
seven  months. 

This  was  not  the  last  of  Back's  labors.  In  1836,  at 
the  instance  of  the  Geographical  Society,  the  British 
government  equipped  an  expedition  to  complete  the  dis- 
covery of  the  coast-line  between  Regent's  Inlet  and 
Point  Turnagain.  The  ship  Terror  was  set  apart  for 
the  service  ;  and  Captain  Back,  just  returned  from  his 
great  land  journey,  was  appointed  to  the  command. 

The  Terror  left  Chatham  on  the  14th  of  June,  1836. 
On  the  29th  of  July,  when  a  good  way  across  the  mouth 
of  Davis's  Straits,  she  came  first  in  view  of  the  ice.  Tho 
quantity  of  it  was  great,  and  one  enormous  berg  pre- 
sented a  vertical  face  of  not  less  than  three  hundred  feet 
in  height.  Occasional  clear  and  pleasant  runs  were 
afterwards  made,  but,  in  general,  the  obstructions  were 
incessant  and  tremendous.  And,  so  early  as  from  the 
1st  to  the  3d  of  August,  when  the  ship  was  near  the 
vexed  and  foggy  shores  of  Resolution  Island,  she  had 
to  bore  and  manoeuvre  her  way  among  dense  floes,  high 
packs,  and  surging  whirlpools. 

On  the  8th  of  August  she  was  moored  to  a  large  ice- 
berg for  protection  from  a  gale.  But  the  berg  looked 
dangerous,  and  was  anxiously  watched  by  the  ofiScera, 
lest  it  should  capsize   and  overwhelm  them.      Early 


BACK'S  VOYAGE  IN  THE  TERROR.  251 

next  njorning  it  was  violently  struck  on  the  weather. 
Bide  by  a  heavy  drifting  floe,  and  for  some  minutes  it 
rocked  and  oscillated  in  awful  menace  of  an  overturn  • 
but  a  large  piece  fell  with  a  splash  into  the  sea  from  on^ 
Hbriun/'"'"'™'  ^"'^  P^o^'dentially  restored  the  equi- 

On  the  14th  of  August  the  Terror  entered  the  nar- 
rows between  Salisbury  Island  and  the  north  coast     A 
resolution  was  now  taken  to  steer  for  the  Frozen  Strait 
The  course  for  four  days  continued  to  be  severe,  yet 
afforded  considerable  promise.     But,  on  the  18th,  after 
the  Bh.p  had  worked  for  some  time  in  only  one  hole  of 
water  she  was  arrested  by  a  dense  unbroken  pack,  of 
fearful  extent  and  most  wildly  rugged  surface.     Yet  the 
Bh.p  pushed  boldly  into  it,  and  very  soon,  to  the  sur^ 
prise  and  joy  of  all,  the  stupendous  mass  went  asunder 
and  disclosed  a  path  through  what  seemed  an  impene' 
trablc  barrier. 

On  the  23d  of  August  they  sighted  Baffin  Island, 
wh,ch  flanks  the  north  side  of  the  entrance  of  tln^ 
Frozen  Stra.t.  But  they  found  not  a  channel  or  a  water- 
lane,  even  of  the  width  of  a  brook,  to  invite  them  on. 
The  scene  everywhere  around  was  a  tumulated  sea  of 
ice^  without  one  break,  without  one  cheering  feature 
and  wUh  a  surface  so  rough,  and  heaved,  and  peaked 
that  no  human  being  could  have  travelled  on  it  Ibr  more 

expectation  of  ever  getting  into  the  Frozen  Strait,  and 
were  now  glad  to  attempt  to  work  their  way  toward 
Southampton  Island.  They  warped  and  bored  and 
Bpont  many  an  hour  in  feverish  excitement.  On  th^  25th 
hey  made  some  little  distance  through  a  slack  ;  but  at 
unse  they  were  stopped  near  an  extensive  floe  where 
t'-om  the  effects  of  pressure,  some  ponderous  masse  ' 
not  unhke  the  blocks  of  a  Titanian  ruin,  had  been  heaped 


232 


PACK'S  VOYAGE  IN  THE  TERROR. 


up  to  the  height  of  thirty  feet.  "  The  land,  blue  from 
distance,  and  beautifully  soft  as  contrasted  witii  th« 
white  cold  glare  of  the  interminable  ice  around,  reflect- 
ing by  the  setting  sun  the  tints  of  the  intervening 
masses  thrown  into  the  most  picturesque  groups  and 
forms,  spires,  turrets,  and  pyramids,  many  in  deep 
shade,  presented  altogether  a  scene  suffit.int  for  a  time 
to  cheat  the  imagination,  and  withdraw  the  mind  from 
the  cheerless  reality  of  their  situation." 

On  the  5th  of  September,  when  they  were  firmly  fixed 
about  sixteen  miles  from  Southampton  Island,  and  saw 
some  tempting  lanes  of  water  at  no  great  distance,  they 
fell  to  the  spirited  task  of  cutting  a  way  through  the 
ice  by  mechanical  force.  All  the  ship's  company,  offi- 
cers and  men,  seized  axes,  ice-chisels,  hand-pikes,  and 
long  poles,  and  vied  with  one  another  in  driving  the 
blocks  asunder,  and  in  driving  them  away  to  the  nearest 
pool.  They  at  length  succeeded  in  setting  the  ship 
free,  and  got  her  into  a  run  of  several  miles  toward  the 
land  ;  but  so  early  as  next  morning,  they  were  once 
more  "in  a  fix."  High  winds  and  foul  weather  at  the 
same  time  came  on,  and  seriously  bewildered  them,  yet, 
on  the  whole,  did  them  good  service,  by  driving  them 
slowly  toward  the  shore. 

On  the  14th  of  September,  within  about  four  miles  of 
the  Cape  Comfort  of  Baffin,  the  ship  became  severely 
"nipped."  A  violent,  agitative,  landward  motion 
pressed  all  the  surroumling  ice  into  the  utmost  possible 
compactness,  raised  much  of  it  into  ponderous  pointed 
heaps  of  twenty  feet  and  upwards  in  height,  and  jammed 
the  ship  with  perilous  tightness  between  the  nearest 
masses. 

The  hapless  ship  was  for  many  days  drifted  backward 
and  forward  along  the  coast,  and  away  from  it,  over  a 
range  of  about  thirty  miles,  just  as  the  wind  or  the  cur- 


The  Midnight  Sun. 


[233] 


Wl 


^H^^' 


BACK'S  VOYAGE  IN  THE  TERROtt. 


236 


reot  or  the  tide  directed.     The  black  frowning  cliffe  of 

Capo  Comfort  might  have  seemed  to  the  most  sluggish 

imagmation  to  grin  upon  her  in  irony.     She  lay  in  the 

grip  of  the  ice-masses  as  helplessly  as  a  kid  does  in  the 

folds  of  a  boa-constrictor;  and  once,  when  she  slipped 

from  that  grip,  or  was  hurtled  into  a  change  of  position 

she  left  her  form  as  perfectly  impressed  behind  her  as  if 

It  had  been  struck  in  a  die.     The  many  old  Greenland 

eeamen  on  board  all  declared  that  they  had  never  before 

Been  a  ship  which  could  have  resisted  such  a  pressure. 

The  perils,  too,  were  increasing;  and  at  ledgth,   on 

the  24th  of  September,   the  officers  unanimously  ex- 

pressed  a  conviction,  founded  on  the  experience  of  the 

preceding   thirty-four  days,  that   all  hope   of  making 

further  progress  that  season  toward  Repulse  Bay  was 

gone. 

Captain  Back  now  resolved  to  cut  a  dock  in  tho  only 
adjacent  floe  which  seemed  sufficiently  large  and  high 
to  afford  the  ship  fair  protection.     But,  on  the  very  next 
day,  by  one  of  those  extraordinary  convulsions  which 
are  the  last  hope  of  the  ice-bound  Arctic  voyager,  the- 
whole  body  of  ice,  for  leagues  around,  got  into  general 
commotion,  and  burst  into  single  masses,  and,  commenc 
ing  an  impetuous  rush  to  the  west,  tossed  many  blocki 
into  heaps,  ground  others  to  powder,  whirled  all  into  a 
hurly-burly,  and  bore  away  the  ship  like  a  feather  toward 
the  Frozen  Strait.     Nothing  could  be  done  by  the  crew 
but  to  await  the  issue ;  and  when  the  storm  subsided, 
they  found  themselves  midway  between  Cape  Comfort 
and  the  entrance  of  the  Frozen  Strait,  about  three  miles 
from  the  shore,  without  any  prospect  of  either  forcing 
their  way  into  a  harbor,  or  finding  some  little  shelter  in 
a  floe.    They  were  once  more  firmly  beset,  with  the  ad- 
ditional calamity  of  being  so  much  tilted  up,  that  the 
stern  of  the  ship  lay  seven  and  a  half  feet  above  the 


^»4A 


236 


BACK'S  VOYAGE  IN  THE  TERROR. 


!l 


horizontal,  and  the  bow  was  jammed  downward  on  the 
masses  ahead.  "Thus,"  says  Back,  "ended  a  mouth 
of  vexation,  disappointment,  and  anxiety,  to  me  per- 
sonally more  distressing  and  intolerable  than  the  worst 
pressure  of  the  worst  evils  which  had  befallen  me  in 
any  otiier  expedition." 

After  a  lony  series  of  such  trying  vicissitudes,  a  time 
of  repose  followed.  The  long  calm  of  winter  seemed 
at  last  to  have  set  in.  Back,  remembering  the  example 
of  Parry,  induced  tlie  oflicers  to  assist  him  in  contriving 
some  amuseuic:;*  (or  the  men.  Theatricals  were  got  up, 
and  the  farce  of  JMonsieur  Tonson  went  ofl"  with  hearty 
laughter  and  abundant  plaudits.  An  evening  school 
also  was  instituted,  and  kept  vigorously  going.  But  a 
startling  event  was  at  hand. 

The  floe,  which  had  been  at  once  cradle,  wagon,  and 
bulwark,  to  the  ship,  now  cracked  and  split  to  within 
about  forty  paces  of  it,  and  gave  fearful  omen  of  being 
ready  to  go  to  pieces.  It  had  become  a  home  to  the 
crew,  and  had  been  made  snug  with  snow-walls,  snow- 
houses,  galleries,  and  court-yard,  which  served  well 
some  of  the  best  purposes  of  a  deck.  It  still  held  to- 
gether, shf  ttered  and  crazy,  for  three  or  four  days,  and 
carried  them  wi'liin  sight  of  Seahorse  Point,  the  south- 
eastern extremity  of  Southampton  Island.  Early  on 
the  morning  of  the  I8th  of  P'ebruary,  there  occurred,  in 
rapid  succession,  first,  a  terrific  crash  on  the  eastern 
edge  of  the  floe  ;  next,  a  hoarse  rushing  sound  across  it ; 
next,  several  severe  si  jcks  against  the  ship,  and  next,  a 
visible  rending  of  the  floe  right  through  the  centre.  The 
ship  now  began  to  strain  and  quiver;  and  she  then 
heeled  over  to  port,  and  relieved  herself  about  six 
inches  from  an  embankment  which  had  been  built  against 
Dor  side.  At  this  time  the  crashing,  grinding,  rushing 
noise  beneath  the  ship,  and  all  over  the  floe,  wore  appall- 


BACK'S  VOYAGE  LN  THE  TERROR. 


237 


Ing  About  two  hours  after,  a  commotion  like  an  earth' 
quake  took  place,  and  made  cracks  across  the  snow- 
houses,  galleries,  and  court-yard,  and  forced  the  ship  to 
croak  through  all  her  timbers.  A  semi-circular  rampart 
of  ice  advanced  from  the  opened  sea  beyond  the  floe  ; 
and  euormous  hillocky  masses,  some  round  and  massy, 
and  others  like  small  packs,  had  broken  loose,  and 
seemed  big  with  woo  and  ruin.  At  this  awful  moment 
the  tumult  suddenly  ceased.  But  the  ship  was  in  a 
most  perilous  position ;  the  ice  all  around  was  so  splin- 
tered and  jagged,  and  so  fissured  and  holed,  that  it 
could  neither  bear  a  boat  nor  be  made  a  depository  of 
provisions ;  and  the  land  was  seven  or  nine  miles  dis- 
tant, and  probably  could  not  have  been  reached  by  even 
the  expertest  ice-man,  who  should  have  had  nothing  but 
his  own  life  to  take  care  of. 

On  the  following  day  the  perils  continued  and  in- 
creased, and  on  the  20th  they  reached  a  crisis.  All 
the  ice  was  again  in  motion,  and  one  of  its  heaves  broke 
up  the  floe  along  the  starboard  side  of  the  ship,  and 
threw  down  everything  in  its  way.  Some  of  the  galle- 
ries now  floated  away,  looking  like  tunnels ;  and  the 
ship  herself  was  in  open  water,  subject  to  the  rubs  and 
nips  of  the  ice-masses.  A  little  after,  she  was  violently 
struck  far  below  the  water-line,  and  creaked  hideously 
from  stem  to  stern,  as  if  she  were  about  to  go  asunder. 
All  the  crew  were  confounded,  and  even  the  poor  sick 
went  tottering  aft,  in  an  agony  of  terror.  But  the  ship 
lifted  herself  fully  eight  inches  from  the  pressure  of  a 
force  which  would  have  crushed  a  less  strengthened 
Tessel  to  atoms  ;  and  the  assailing  ice-mass  either  passed 
in  part  beneath  the  bottom,  or  was  wedged  against  the 
large  masses  at  the  extremities.  P'or  upwards  of  three 
weeks,  similar  scenes,  and  worse,  weie  frequent;  and 
never  on  the  polar  seas  was  there  a  moro  marvelloin 


238 


BACK'S  VOYAGE  IN  THE  TERROR. 


Bcene  of  awful  dangers  without  a  catastrophe,  uiid  of 
providential  deliverances,  without  any  instruinontalit; 
of  man.  The  scenery  was  sometimes  magnificently  sol- 
emn, with  such  a  perspective  of  moving,  frowning,  stu 
pendous  towers  and  bulwarks,  as  few  human  beings 
have  ever  witnessed  ;  and  often,  on  the  contrary,  was  it 
80  enwrapped  in  fog,  that  its  dreadful  perils  were  much 
more  readily  heard  than  seen. 

On  several  occasions  the  ship  was  violently  nipped, 
and  lifted  herself  up  vertically  to  more  than  twice  the 
former  height,  and  groaned  from  the  severity  of  the  un- 
der-pressure.     Once  the  ice-masses  near  her  came  im* 
petuously  on,  and  tossed  their  enormous  weight  against 
her,  and  tlirew  her  up  and  considerably  over  to  star 
board.     At  another  time  the  lateral  pressure  crushed 
tha  contiguous  ice  into  debris,  and  threw  up  a  huge 
mass  fully  nineteen  feet  above  the  general  level,  and 
rolled  the  adjacent  floe  into  hummocks,  mounds,  peaks, 
splinters,  walls,  and  ramparts.     At  another  time,  after 
some  alternations  of  commotion  and  quiet,  and  when  all 
bad  symptoms  of  an  uproar  had  disappeared,  the  vast 
contiguous  masses  suddenly  started  into  tumult,  rubbed 
and  tossed  one  another  in  furious  conflict,  flung  pieco 
over  piece  till  all  was  a  chaos,  made  the  ship  rise  up 
abaft  and  tremble  through  hull  and  rigging,  and  accom- 
panied the  whole  with  such  a  whining,  and  screeching, 
and  howling,  as  might  have  been  taken  for  a  revelry  of 
demons.     Worse  scenes  than  even  those  followed  ;  and 
one  of  the  chief  of  them  will  be  bert  given  in  Back's 
own  graphic  words. 

After  desciibing  two  remarkable  escapes  from  the 
tremendous  shocks  of  driving  ice,  hurled  together  like 
mountain  masses  by  an  earthquake,  he  observes:  "On 
the  16th  of  March  another  rush  drove  irresistibly  on 
the  larboard  quarter  and  stern,  and,  forcing  the  ship 


I 


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5 

BACK'S   VOYAGE   IN  THE  TERROR.  235: 

•head,  raised  her  upon  tho  ice.     A  chaotic  ruin  fol 
lowed  ;  our  poor  and  cLorislied  court-yard,  its  wall  and 
wchod  doors,  gallery,  and  well-trodden  paths,  were  ront 
vid  in  sotno  partB  ploughed  up  like  dust.     The  ship  was 
cart:or.cd  fully  four  streaks,  and  sprang  a  leak  as  before 
ficaix-ely  were  ten  minutes  left  us  for  tho  expression  of 
Dur  astonishment  that  anything  of  human  build  could 
outlive  such  assaults,  when  another  equally  violent  rush 
cucceoded  ;  and,  in  its  way  toward  tho  starboard  quar- 
ter, throw  up  a  rolling  wave  thirty  feet  high,  crowned 
by  a  blue  square  mass  of  many  tons,  resembling  the 
entire  side  of  a  house,  which,  after  hanging  for  some 
time  in  doubtful  poise  on  the  ridge,  at  length  fell  with  a 
crash  mto  the  hollow,  in  which,  as  in  a  cavern,  the 
alter-part  of  the  ship  seemed  imbedded.     It  was  indeed 
an  awful  crisis,  rendered  more  frightful  from-  the  misti- 
ness  of  the  night  and  dimness  of  the  moon.     The  poor 
ship  cracked  and  trembled  violently,  and  no  one  could 
say  that  tho  next  minute  would  not  be  her  last ;  and 
indeed,  his  own  too,  for  with  her  our  means  of  safety 
would  probably  perish." 

During  all  the  period  of  disasters  after  the  disruption 
of  the  floe,  the  ship  was  carried  hither  and  thither  over 
a  range  of  from  twenty-six  to  forty-eight  miles  north. 
west  of  Seahorse  Point,  and  seldom  further  than  about 
ten  m.les  from  the  nearest  land.     But,  after  the  16th  of 
March,  she  set  pretty  steadily  toward  the  south-east 
and  kept  a  good  deal  nearer  the  shore.     The  officers  at 
a  formal   consultation,   agreed   that   she   now   seemed 
liable  to  be  lost  at  any  moment,  and  that  a  light-boat, 
with  provisions,  should,  if  possible,  be  landed  to  serve 
as  a  last  resource,  to  communicate  with  the  Hudson's 
^ly  (^ompany's  factory,  in  the  event  of  her  going  down. 
Stie  still  held  marvellousljr  firm,  and  continued  to  be 
cradled  on  a  small  piece  of  floe.     On  the  16th  of  April, 


iS 


■■■r 


240 


BACK'S  VOYAGE  IN  THE  TERROR 


appfarently  by  some  conflicting  action  of  strong  cairn 
ciineiits,  she  lost  the  sides  of  her  cradle ;  yet  evcL 
then  she  retained  the  base  of  it,  and  was  borne  alon<r 
on  this  as  on  a  truck. 

So  late  as  the  20th  of  June,  the  chip  still  lay  immov- 
ably fixed  in  the  middle  of  a  large  floe,  and,  though  dis- 
ruptions and  openings   then   became  common,  at  com- 
paratively small  distances  from  her,  she  continued  as 
firm  in  her  cradle  as  in  the  beginning  of  February.     No 
alternative  oil'erod  but  to  cut  her  out  with  implements  ; 
and  this  proved  an  enormous  labor,  and  occupied  all  the 
crow  till  the  11th  of  July.     On  that  day  the  men  had 
paused  to  draw  breath,    when   suddeidy   the   ice-rock 
burst  asunder,  barely  allowing  them  tin)e  to  clamber  up 
in  hot  haste,  for  safety.    "  Scarcely,"  says  Captain  Back, 
"had   I  dc'scended  to  my  cabin,  when  a  loud  rumbling 
niitified  that  the  ship  had  brnkon  her  ice-bonds,  and  was 
sliding  gently  down  into  h"r  own  element.     I  ran  in- 
stantly on  dock,  and  joined  in  the  cheers  of  the  ofiicors 
and  men,  wtio,  dispersed  on  dilVerent  pieces  of  ice,  took 
this  significant  method  of  expressing  their  feelings.     It 
was  a  sight  not  to  be  forgotten.     Standing  on  the  tafi- 
rail,  I  saw  the  dark  bubbling  water  below,  and  enormoua 
masses  of  ice  gently  vibrating  and  springing  to  the  sur- 
face :  the  first  lieutenant  was  just  climbing  over  tho 
stern,  while  other  groups  were  standing  apart,  separated 
by  this  new  gulf:  and  the  spars,  together  with  working 
implements,  were  resting  half  in  the  water,  half  on  tho 
ice,  whilst  ti>e  saw,  the  instrument  whereby  this  sudden 
eifect  had  been  produced,  was  bei.t  double,  and  in  that 
position  forcibly  detained  by  the  body  it  had  severed." 

A  pice  of  tho  base  of  the  ship's  ice-cradle,  however 
still  clung  to  her,  and  continued  to  do  so  till  the  13th 
and  when  it  did  break  up,  it  did  not  set  her  free.     On 
llie  contrary,  she  slowly  rose,  heeled  over  to  port,  and 


I  i 


BACK'S   VOVAGE  IN  THE  TERROR. 


2n 


Beemed    for  some  moments  to   be   entirely   capsizing. 
Those  of  her  company  wiio  were  on  board  felt  suddenly 
as  if  on   the  verge  of  eternity.     Yet  tliey  evinced  no 
coniusion,  and  cleared  off  and   provisioi,ed  the   boats 
with  astonishing  coolness  and  promptitude.     She  went 
60  completely  on  her  beam  ends,  that  no  man  in  her 
could   move   without   holding  on;    but  she   went  no 
fi;rther.     A  submerged  ice-mass,  whose  end  was  con- 
gjaled  to  her  bottom,  and  whose  other  end  projected 
right  out  from  her,  was  the  cause  of  her  overturn,  and 
It  now  held  her  (inn  in  her  perilous  position.     Officers 
and  men  beheld  it  with  awe,  and  set  promptly  and  ener- 
getically to  the  arduous   task  of  sawing  it  off.     They 
worked  from  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  till  two  in 
the  following  morning,  afraid  that  a  squall  might  arise 
and  r-in  them  ;  and  when  at  last  they  had  only  ten  feet 
more  to  saw,  but  were  compelled  by  fatigue  and  drowsi- 
ness  to  go  in  quest  of  a  short  repose   on   the    deck 
suddenly  there  was  a  grating  sound  of  breaking  ice,  and' 
before  a  word  could  be  spoken,  th^  ship  sprang  free' 
and  entirely  righted.     The  cheering  of  tho  crew  was 
vociferous,  and  their  joy  unboundfjd.     Four  months,  all 
but  a  day,  had  the  ship  been  in  the  grip  of  the  ice  ;  and 
lunr,  after  a  romance  of  perils,  and  x  cycle  of  providen- 
tial deliverances,  she  was  again  subject  to  the  control 
of  man. 

The  last  Bconeg  we  have  described  touk  place  in  the 
vicinity  of  Charles  Island,  about  midway  between  Cape 
Comfort  and  the  mouth  of  Hudson's  Strait.  The  query 
was  naturally  raised,  whether  anything  could  now  be 
done  to  prosecute  the  object  of  the  expedition  ;  but  the 
ship  was  found  to  be  far  too  shattered  to  go  again  in 
her  present  state  into  collision  with  the  ice,  and  a 
serious  doubt  soon  arose  whether  she  should  be  able 
to  cross  the  sea  to  a  British  harbor.     There  was  noth- 

]0 


242 


DBASE  AND  SIMPSON'S  DISCO VERIEa 


ing  for  it  but  to  run  her,  with  all  possible  speed,  toward 
home.  She  was  utterly  crazy,  and  broken,  and  leaky ; 
and  not  even  her  perilous  tumbling  among  the  ice-masses 
around  the  dismal  Cape  Comfort  and  the  horrid  Sea- 
horse Point  were  more  perilous  than  the  struggling, 
staggering,  water-logged  voyage  which  she  made  across 
the  northern  Atlantic.  She  at  last  reached  the  north- 
west coast  of  Ireland,  gradually  sinking  by  the  head, 
and  was  run  ashore  in  Lough  Swilly  on  the  3d  of  Sep- 
tember ;  and,  had  she  been  three  hours  longer  at  sea, 
she  would  certainly  have  gone  to  the  bottom.  Her 
whole  frame  proved  to  be  strained  and  twisted  ;  many 
of  her  bolts  were  either  loosened  or  broken  ;  her  fore- 
foot was  entirely  gone  ;  and  upwards  of  twenty  feet  of 
her  keel,  together  with  ten  feet  of  her  stern-post,  had 
been  driven  over  more  than  three  feet  and  a  half  on  one 
side,  leaving  a  frightful  opening  astern  for  the  free 
ingress  of  water.  Well,  therefore,  might  her  crew, 
when  they  afterwards  looked  on  her  as  she  lay  dry  on 
the  beach  at  low  water,  express  astonishment  that  ever 
they  had  floated  back  in  her  to  British  shores  ;  and  ample 
occasion  had  they  to  cherish  adoring  gratitude  to  the 
all-powerful  and  all-benevolent  Being  who  had  preserved 
them. 

Almost  simultaneously  with  Back's  expedition  in  the 
Terror,  in  1836,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  resolved  on 
completing,  if  possible,  the  survey  of  those  portions  of 
the  northern  coast  which  Franklin  and  Back  had  failed 
to  reach.  This  service  was  intrusted  to  Messrs.  Dease 
and  Simpson,  two  of  their  employees,  with  a  party  of 
twelve  men,  who  were  instructed  to  descend  the  Mac- 
kenzie River,  and,  on  arriving  at  the  sea,  endeavor  to 
follow  tne  coast  to  the  westward,  either  by  land  or  water, 
as  weather  and  other  circumstances  permitted,  to  the 
pomt  at  which  Beechey  turned  back.     They  were  after- 


DBASE  AND  SIMPSON'S  DISCOVERIES. 


243 


wards  to  explore  to  the  eastward  from  Point  Turnagaii, 
.of  Frankliu  ;  to  determine  whether  Boothia  Felix  were 
a  peninsula,  as  Ross  supposed,  or  an  island  ;  and  then  to 
push  on  in  the  same  direction  to  some  known  point  whicl- 
had  been  visited  by  Back. 

In  July,  1837,  they  had  reached  Return  Reef,  where 
Franklin  was  stopped.     Beyond  this  all  was  new.   Two 
large  rivers  were  discovered,  the  Garry  and  Colville,  the 
latter  more  than  a  thousand  miles  in  length.     Although 
in  the  middle  of  the  dog-days,  the  ground  was  frozen  lo 
hard  at  four  inches  beneath  the  surface,  that  they  could 
scarcely   drive  in   their  tent-pegs.     So  keen  was   the 
north-easterly  wind,  that  "  the  spray  froze  on  the  oars 
and  rigging  ;  and  out  in  the  bay  the  ice  lay  smooth  and 
solid,  as  in  the  depth  of  a  ::unles3  winter."     Yet  even 
here  a  few  flowers  cheered  the  eyes  of  the  travellers, 
and  enlivened  the  stubborn  soil.    On  the  Ist  of  August^ 
further  progress  by  water  being  impracticable,  —  they 
had  gained  but  four  miles  on  the  four  previous  days,  — 
Mr.  Simpson,  with  some  of  the  men,  continued  the  jour- 
ney on  foot,  while  Mr.  Dease  and  the  others  remained 
in  charge  of  the  boats.     The  walking-party,  after  two 
or  three  days'  travel,  fell  in  with  a  number  of  Esqui. 
maux,  from  whom  they  hired  an  oomiak,  or  family-canoe, 
in  which  to  pursue  the  voyage  along  the  lanes  of  open 
water  occasionally  visible  close  to  the  beach.     On  the 
4th,  after  passing  the  mouth  of  a  large,  deep  river,  "  I 
saw,"  says  Mr.  Simpson,  "  with  indescribable  emotions, 
Point  Barrow  stretching  out  to  tlie  northward,  and  enclos- 
Ing  Elson  Bay,  near  tiie  bottom  of  which  we  now  were." 
riiis,  it  will  be  remembered,  was   the   furthest   point 
attained  by  the  Blossom's  barge  in  1826,  an  exploit  com- 
memorated  by  naming  the  bay  after  Lieut.  Elson,  one  of 
the  ofBcers  in  command. 

Tho  party  returned  to  the  winter  station  on  Great 


mmmst-is^ 


t£jtaL    ■ ''  ' 


244 


DEASE  AND  SIMPSON'S   DISCOVERIES. 


Bear  Lake,  and,  while  there,  received  instructions  to 
renew  their  search  to  tlie  eastward,  and  were  informed 
of  Sir  G.  Back's  expedition,  with  which  they  were,  if 
posaible,  to  communicate.     They  were  descending  the 
Coppermine  in   June,  1838,   in  pursuance  of  these  in- 
Btructions,  when    the   stieam  was    swollen    by  spring 
floods,  and  encumbered  with  floating  ice  ;  and,  in  shoot- 
ing the  numerous  rapids,  "  had  to  pull  for  their  lives, 
to  keep  out  of  the   suction   of  the   precipices,   along 
whose  base  the  breakers  raged  and  foamed,  with  over- 
whelming fury.     Shortly  before  noon,  wo  came  in  sight 
of  Escape  Rapid  of  Franklin  ;  and  a  glance  at  the  over- 
hanging cliffs  told  ns  that  there  was  no  alternative  but 
to  run  down  with  full  cargo.     In  an  instant,"  continues 
Mr.  Simpson,  "  we  were  in  the  vortex  ;  and,  before  we 
were  aware,  my  boat  was  borne  towards   an   isolated 
rock,  which  the  boiling  surge  almost   concealed.     To 
clear  it  on  the  outside  was  no  longer  possible  ;  our  only 
chance  of  bafety  was  to  run  between  it  and  the  lofty 
eastern  cliff.     The  word  was  passed,  and  every  breath 
was  hushed.     A  stream  which  dashed  down  upon  us 
over  the  brow  of  the  precipice,  more  than  one  hundred 
feet  in    Iieight,  mingled   with   the  spray   that   whirled 
upwards  from  the  rapid,  forming  a  terrific  shower-bath. 
The  pass  was  about  eight  feet  wide,  and  the  error  of  a 
single   foot  on   either  side   would   have   been    instant 
destruction.    As,  guided  by  Sinclair's  consummate  skill, 
the  boat  shot  safely  through  those  jaws  of  death,  an 
involuntary  cheer  arose.     Our  next  impulse  was  to  turn 
round  to  view  the  fate  of  our  comrades  behind.     They 
had  profited  by  the  peril  we  incurred,  and  kept  without 
the  treacherous  rock  in  time." 

Tliey  had  navigated  but  a  short  distance  along  the 
coast  when  r,,  y  were  stopped  by  ice,  and  lingered  n;.iny 
days  at  Boatnaven,  in  a  state  of  utter  hopelessness.   The 


DE4SE  AND  SIMPSON'S  DISCOVERIES.  245 

time  for  returning  had  arrived  ere  any  real  work  had 
been  accomplished.     At  length,  on  the  20th  of  Au-ust 
Mr.  Simpson  started  with  seven  men  for  a  ten  days' 
walk  to  the  eastward,  on  the  first  of  which  they  passed 
i'omt  Turnagain,  the  limit  of  Franklin's  survey  in  1821 
By  the  23d  they  had  toiled  onwards  to  an  elevated  cape' 
nsmg  from  a  sea  beset  with  ice ;  and,  the  land  closing  all 
round  to   the  northwards,  further  progress  seemed  to 
be  impossible.     -  With  bitter  disappointment,"  write8 
Mr  Simpson    "I  ascended  the  height,  from  whence  a 
vast  and  splendid  prospect  burst  suddenly  upon  me 
Ihe  sea,  as  if  transformed  by  enchantment,  rolled  its 
free  waves  at  my  feet,  and  beyond  the  reach  of  vision 
to  the  eastward.     Islands  of  various  shape   and  size 
overspread  its  surface,  and  the  northern  land  terminated 
to  the  eye  in  a  bold  and  lofty  cape,  bearing  east-north- 
east,  thirty  or  forty  miles  distant,  while  the  continpntal 
coast  trended  away  south-east.     I  stood,  in  fact,  on  a 
remarkable  headland,  at  the  eastern  outlet  of  an  ice- 
obstructed  strait.     On  the  extensive  land  to  the  north- 
ward  I  bestowed  the  name  of  our  most  gracious  sover- 

TH^p'^Mf''""-  ^''  ""^^"'■"  ^'^^ble  extremity  I 
called  Gape  Pelly,  in  compliment  to  the  governor  of  the 
Iludson's  Bay  Company." 

In  1839  they  were  more  successful,  and,  favored  with 
mild  weather  and  an  open  sea,  they  sailed  through  the 
narrow  strait  that  separates  Victoria  Land  from  the 
ma,n.  On  the  13th  of  August  they  doubled  Point  Ogle 
the  lurthest  point  of  Back's  journey  in  1834  ;  an  event 
winch  tcnninated  the  long-pursued  inquiry  concerning 
the  coast-hne.  They  had  thus  ascertained  that  the 
American  continent  is  separated  from  Boothia  to  the 
westward  of  Back's  Estuary.  The  survey  was  now 
ocmplet^.  A  day  or  two  later,  the  partyf  with  flag" 
fly-ng,  crossed  to  Montreal  Island,  in  Back's  Estuai^ 


;§ 


248 


DEASE   AND  SIMPSON'S  DISCOVEKIES. 


where  thoy  discovered  a  deposit  of  provisions  which 
Back  bad  left  there  five  years  previously.  The  penimi- 
can  was  unfit  for  use  ;  but  out  of  several  pounds  of 
chocolate,  half  decayed,  the  men  contrived  to  pick  stiffi- 
cient  to  make  a  kettle-full  of  acceptable  drink  in  honor 
of  the  occasion.  There  were  also  a  tin  case  and  a  few 
fish-hooks,  of  which,  observes  Mr.  Simpson,  "  Mr.  Deaso 
and  I  took  possession,  as  memorials  of  our  having 
breakfasted  on  the  identical  spot  where  the  tent  of  our 
gallant,  though  less  successful  precursor,  stood  that 
very  day  five  years  before." 

They  had  now  obeyed  their  instructions  to  the  letter ; 
the  coast-line  was  determined,  and  connected  with  what 
was  previously  known  U>  the  eastwaut.  It  was  time  to 
think  of  returning,  but  it  still  remained  a  question 
whether  some  part  of  Boothia  might  not  be  united  to  the 
continent  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  estuary.  Doubling, 
therefore,  its  eastern  promontory,  thoy  passed  a  point 
of  the  continent  which  they  named  Cape  Britannia, 
and  another  called  Cape  Selkirk,  and  proceeded  toward 
some  islands  in  the  Gulf  of  Akkoleo,  so  far  ar  to  satisfy 
themselves  that  they  were  to  the  eastward  of  any  part 
of  Boothia.  By  the  20th  of  August  they  had  sailed  far 
enough  to  see  the  further  shore,  with  its  capes,  of  the 
Gulf  of  Boothia,  which  runs  down  to  within  forty  miles 
of  Repulse  Bay  ;  and  they  then  turned  back.  On  their 
return,  they  traced  sixty  miles  of  the  south  coast  of 
Boothia,  where  at  one  time  they  were  not  more  than 
ninety  miles  from  the  site  of  the  magnetic  pole,  as  deter- 
mined by  Sir  James  Ross.  A  long  extent  of  Victoria 
Land  was  also  examined  ;  and,  on  the  16th  of  Septem- 
ber, they  once  more  happily  entered  the  Coppermine, 
after  a  boat  voyage  of  more  than  sixteen  hundred  milcB, 
the  longest  ever  performed  in  the  Polar  Sea 


CHAPTER  XI. 

-Zw7or  ""^-«*»"'    "^    P'-KNTT.-BI.KrOE    TKAV.U.INO. 

-8»0W-H0n8K8.-aKTUnN._„OKWED  INTEREST  IS  TUB  DlSCOVEBr 
or  A  N0«TH.W«8T  PAS8A0K.-THE  EREBC8  AND  TEBB0R.-8.H  JOHN 
FRANKLIN  8    LAST    VOVAGE.  —  MYSTEBr   OF   DIS   FATE. 

The  supposed  great  bay,  extending  from  the  furthest 

point  reached  by  Messrs.  Dease  and  Simpson,  eastward 

to  the  Fury  and  Hecia  Strait,  now  became  an  object  of 

intense   interest.      The   mystery  which   overhung  the 

northeast  corner  of  the  American  mainland  seemed,  at 

last,  to  be  almost  revealed.     Let  but  the  coast-line  from 

the  mouth  of  the  Castor  and  Pollux  to  the  eastern  ex- 

tremity  of  the  Gulf  of  Akkolee  be  examined,  so  as  to 

connect  the  discoveries  of  Messrs.  Dease  and  Simpson 

with  those  of  the  second  voyage  of  Parry,  and  those  of 

the  second  voyage  of  John  Ross,  and  all  would  become 

plain. 

In  1846,  accordingly,  the.  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
fitted  out  an  expedition  to  cflVct  this  object ;  and  Dr 
Joiin  Rae  was  appointed  to  the  command.  He  was 
just  the  man  for  it :  he  was  surgeon,  astronomer,  steers- 
man, and  leader  to  the  party  ;  had  spent  several  years 
m  the  service  of  the  company  ;  and  added  to  his  other 
attainments  the  not  unimportant  accomplishments  of  a 
first-rate  snow-shoe  walker  and  a  dead  shot. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  Rae  landed  at  York  Factory, 
after  a  canoe  journey  of  about  two  months'  duration' 


''»W,.^ 


218 


RAE'S   LAND   KXPEDITION. 


through  the  interior,  from  Canada.  Here  he  wintered 
and,  on  the  12th  of  June,  set"  sail  in  two  boats,  with  six 
men  to  each,  along  the  shores  of  Hudson's  l^ay,  wliich 
are  hero  low,  flat,  and  uninteresting.  On  tlie  '27tli  they 
landed  at  Churchill.  They  found  the  people  hero  en- 
gaged in  killing  white  whales,  which  are  often  seen 
rolling  their  bulky  forms  up  the  rivers  that  How  into 
the  l)ay.  Their  llesh  is  used  as  food  for  dogs,  the  house 
in  which  it  is  kept  being  called  the  blubber-house  ;  to 
liiid  which  house,  especially  in  summer,  the  simple 
direction,  "  follow  your  nose,"  is  sufficient. 

Having  taken  on  board  Ouligbuck,  an  Esquimau.x 
interpreter,  and  the  son  of  Ooligbuck,  a  sad  thief,  who 
nad  a  peculiar  fancy  for  tobacco  and  buttons,  they  left 
Churchill  July  5tli,  1846.  During  the  day  they  passed 
the  Pau-a-thau-kis-cow  river,  where  they  were  overtaken 
by  fhree  Esquimaux,  in  their  kayaks.  These  little 
canoes  were  propelled  by  their  vigorous  occupants  so 
Bwiftly,  that  they  easily  kept  up  with  the  boats,  while 
Bailing  at  the  rate  of  four  miles  an  hour.  The  kayak  is 
about  twelve  feet  in  length,  and  two  in  breadth,  taper- 
ing off  from  the  centre  to  the  bow  and  stern,  almost  to 
a  mere  point.  The  frame  is  of  wood,  covered  with  seal- 
skin, having  an  aperture  in  the  centre,  wliich  barely 
admits  of  the  stowage  of  the  nether  man.  They  are 
used  solely  for  hunting,  -and,  by  means  of  the  double 
paddle,  are  propelled  through  the  water  with  the  veloc- 
ity of  the  dolphin.  No  land  animal  can  possibly  escape 
when  seen  in  the  water ;  the  least  exertion  is  sufficient 
to  keep  up  with  the  reindeer  when  swim,:  ing  at  its 
utmost  speed. 

The  uvmiak,  or  women's  boat,  is  much  clumsier, 
elower,  and  safer,  more  in  the  form  of  a  boat  than  a 
canoe,  and  is  used  to  convey  the  female  porti  >\\  of  the 
communitj'  and  their  families  from  one  part  of  the  coast 


i 


wr^'  ■Tj'^ 

rrT\ 

1 

1 

. ,  1 .  ^ 

H 

1 

RAJbl'S  LAND  EXPEDITION 


36; 


10  another,  being  propelled  by  the  women,  who  us9 
Bmiill  puddloH  for  tlio  purpose. 

On  the  13th,  ClioHterfield  Inlet  was  paBsed.  VValrusea 
were  hero  seen.  "  They  were  grunting  and  bellowing," 
says  Kae,  "  making  a  noise  which  I  fancy  would  much 
resemble  a  concert  of  old  boars  and  buflaloes."  At  the 
head  of  Kopulse  Bay,  where  they  landed  on  the  25th, 
they  fell  in  with  more  Esquimaux,  and  procured  froni 
them  some  sealskin  boots.  When  about  to  put  on  a 
pair  of  those  boots,  says  Rae,  "  one  of  our  female  visit- 
ors,  noticing  that  the  leatiier  of  the  foot  was  rather 
hard,  took  them  out  of  my  hands,  and  began  chewing 
them  with  her  strong  teeth."  By  this  process  they 
were  softened  for  the  wearing. 

They  quitted  the  head  of  Repulse   Bay,  in  latitude 
66°  32'  north,  and  succeeded  in  conveying  one  of  their 
boats  to  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Gulf  of  Akkolee, 
in  latitude  67'  13'  north.     They  found  a  chain  of  lakes 
lying  across  the  isthmus,  and  derived  great  aid  from  it 
in  the  conveying  of  the  boat.     They  proceeded  ahjng 
the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Akkolee  till  the  5th  of  August, 
and  they  observed  the  tides  to  be,  on  tlie  average,  far 
higiior  than  in  the  Polar  Sea,  but  exceedingly  irregular, 
and  varying  in  rise  from  four  to  ten  feet ;  and  already 
they   began   to   entertain   a  strong    presumption   that 
Boothia,  after  all,  is  a  peninsula  of  the  American  main- 
land.     But  they  were  utterly  baffled  in  their  progress 
by  ice  and  fogs  and  northerly  winds,  and  felt  obliged  to 
return  at  about  latitude  67*  30'  north,  and  spend  the 
winter  at  Repulso  Bay.     There  they  built  a  house,  and 
procured  a  stock    i  provisions  by  hunting  and  fishing, 
principally  reindeer  and  salmon  ;  and,  excepting  what 
was  used  for  cooking,  they  had  no  fuel  throughout  the 
winter.     The  sporting-book  for  September  showed  thai 
they  had  been  diligent :  sixty-three  deer,     five  hnres. 


wm 

i-F-- 

t 

f 

252 


RAE'S  LAND  F-XPEDITION. 


i>ne  Bftal,  one  hunflrnd  ftixl  seventy-two  piirtriclges,  and 
one  hundred  and  Hixtccn  Bulmon  and  tront,  having  been 
hroiight  in. 

On  the  5th  of  April,  18t7,  six  of  the  party  again 
started  north  with  sledgCB,  drawn  hy  dogs,  and  travelled 
along  the  west  shore  of  the  Gnlf  of  Akkoleo  ;  and,  on 
the  I8th,  they  reached  the  vicinity  of  Sir  John  Ross's 
most  southerly  diacoverieB.  The  question  of  the  sup- 
posed communication  with  the  Polar  Sea  was  here  to  be 
set  at  rest.  They  decided  now  to  strike  off  from  tho 
coast  across  the  land  as  nearly  north  as  possible  ;  and 
they  had  a  tiresome  march  through  snow,  and  across 
three  small  lakes  ;  and,  at  noon,  when  near  the  middle 
of  another  lake  of  about  four  miles  in  length,  they  ascer- 
tained their  latitude  to  be  69»  26'  1"  north.  They 
walked  three  miles  more,  and  came  to  still  another  lake  ; 
and,  as  there  was  not  yet  any  appearance  of  the  sea, 
Rae  gave  orders  to  the  men  to  prepare  their  lodgings, 
and  went  forth  alone  to  look  fur  the  coast.  He  arrived 
in  twenty  minutes  at  an  inlet  of  not  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  wide,  a; id  traced  this  westward  for  upwards 
of  a  league,  and  there  found  his  course  once  more 
obstructed  by  land. 

Some  rocky  hillocks  were  near,  and,  thinking  he  saw 
from  the  top  of  these  some  rough  ice  in  tike  desired 
direction,  he  inhaled  fresh  hope,  pushed  eagerly  on  to 
a  rising  ground  in  tho  distance,  and  there  beheld 
stretched  out  before  him  an  ice-covered  sea,  studded 
with  innumerable  islands.  But  it  was  the  sea  of  Sir 
John  Ross,  the  Lord  Mayor's  Bay  of  the  disastrous 
voyage  of  the  Victory ;  and  the  islands  were  those 
which  Sir  John  had  named  tho  Sons  of  the  Clergy  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland.  Rae,  therefore,  had  simply 
crossed  a  peninsula  of  the  Gulf  of  Akkolee  ;  and  thus 
did  he  ascertain  that  the  shores  which  witnessed  the 


MAE'S  LAND  £X  {'EDITION. 


253 


woos  of  the  Victory,  tljp  oaatorn  slioios  of  Boothia,  arn 
continiiouH  with  tlio  muinlinid  of  America. 

On  this  expedition,  "our  usual  niod(!,"  Bays  Rao, 
"  of  pieparinj?  lodgings  for  tlio  night  was  as  folhnvB  : 
As  Huon  m  wo  liad  solcctod  a  8p(-f  fur  our  Hiiow-houso, 
our  EBfjuimaux,  assiHtod  by  ono  or  nioru  of  tiio  inon, 
coinmoncod  cutting  out  hlocits  of  8nc»w.  When  a  sufB- 
ciont  number  of  tlieso  hud  !)Cfn  raiwcd,  the  builder  oom- 
menced  hia  work,  his  aswistanta  Hupplyin^r  liim  with  the 
material.  A  good  roomy  dwelling  was  tlms  raised  in 
an  hour,  if  the  snow  was  in  a  good  state  for  building. 
Whilst  our  principal  mason  was  thus  occupied,  another 
of  the  party  was  busy  erecting  a  kitclKMi,  which,  although 
our  cooking  was  none  of  the  most  delicate  or  extensive, 
was  still  a  necessary  addition  to  our  establishment,  had 
it  been  only  to  thaw  snow.  As  soon  as  the  snow-hut 
was  completed,  our  sledges  were  unloaded,  and  every- 
thing  eatable  (including  parchment-skin  and  moose-skin 
shoes,  which  had  now  become  favorite  articles  with  the 
dogs)  taken  inside.  Our  bed  was  next  made,  and,  by 
the  time  the  snow  was  thawed  or  the  water  boiled,  as  the 
case  might  be,  we  were  all  ready  for  supper.  When  we 
used  alcohol  for  fuel  (which  wo  usually  did  in  stormy 
weather),  no  kitchen  was  required." 

Sir  James  Clarke  Koss,  who  figured  in  the  voyage 
of  the  Victory  as  Commander  Ross,  says,  "  Mr.  Rae's 
description  of  the  inlet  ho  crossed  over  to  in  the  south- 
east corner  of  Lord  Mayor's  Bay,  accords  so  exactly 
with  what  I  observed  whilst  surveying  its  shores,  that 
1  have  no  doubt  of  his  having  reached  that  inlet  on 
which  I  found  the  Esquimaux  marks  so  numerous,  but 
of  which  no  account  was  published  in  Sir  John  Ross's 
narrative."  Rao  appropriately  named  the  peninsula 
Sir  John  Ross's  Peninsula  ;  and  the  isthmus,  connecting 
it  with  the  mainland,  and  flanking  the  inlet,  Sir  James 


254 


RAE'S  LAND  EXPEDITION. 


Ross's  Isthmus.  The  latter  is  only  one  milo  broad,  and 
has  three  small  ponds ;  but  it  bears  evident  marks  of 
being  an  autumnal  deer-pass,  and,  therefore,  a  favorite 
resort  of  the  Esquimaux.  Rae  had  thus  reached  the 
g^oal  of  his  vsrishes. 

A  progress  to  the  furthest  point  reached  by  Messrs. 
Dease  and  Simpson  was  not  attempted,  for  it  was  now 
ascertained  that  this  must  comprise  a  journey  over 
land,  and  either  a  voyage  across  a  large  land-locked 
08tP'>iiy,  or  a  coasting  along  its  shores ;  and  for  these 
the  explorers  had  neitlicr  time  nor  resources.  They 
forthwith  began  to  retrace  their  route  to  the  fort  at 
Repulse  Boy.  All  the  caches  of  provisions  which  had 
been  made  during  the  outward  journey  were  found  quite 
safe,  and  thus  afforded  them  a  plentiful  supply  of  food. 
On  the  mdrning  of  the  5th  of  May  they  reached  sort  a 
Esquimaux  dwellings  on  the  shores  of  Christie's  Lake, 
about  fifteen  miles  from  Fort  Hope.  "At  two  p.  m 
on  the  same  day,"  says  Rae,  "we  were  again  on  the 
march,  and  ardved  at  our  home  at  halfpast  eight  p.  m., 
all  well,  but  so  black  and  scarred  on  the  face,  from  the 
combined  effects  of  oil,  smoke,  and  frost-bites,  that  our 
friends  would  not  believe  but  that  some  serious  accident 
from  the  explosion  of  gunpowder  had  happened  to  us 
Thus  successfully  terminated  a  journey  little  short  of 
six  hundred  English  miles,  the  longest,  I  believe,  ever 
made  on  foot  along  the  Arctic  coast." 

On  the  12th  of  May,  at  the  head  of  a  similar  party, 
Rae  set  out  to  examine  the  east  side  of  the  gulf;  and  on 
the  27th,  in  a  bewildering  snow-storm,  he  readied  his 
ultimatum,  at  a  headland  which  tliey  called  Cape  Cro- 
zier.  But,  during  a  blink  of  the  storm,  he  gol  a  clear 
view  of  a  headland  nearly  twelve  miles  further  on, 
which  he  called  Cape  Ellico,  and  computed  to  bo  in  lat- 
itude 69"  42*  north,  and  longitude  85"  8'  west,  or  withiu 


FRANKLIN'S  LAST  VOYAGE. 


255 


about  ten  miles  of  the  Fury  and  Ilecla  Straits.  "  Ouf 
journey,"  says  Dr.  Rae,  "  hitherto  had  been  the  most 
fatiguing  I  ha(i  ever  experienced  ;  the  severe  exercise, 
with  a  limited  allowance  of  food,  had  reduced  the  whole 
party  very  much.  However,  we  marched  merrily  on, 
tightening  our  belts,  —  mine  came  in  six  inches,  —  the 
men  vowing  that  when  they  got  on  full  allowance  they 
would  make  up  for  lost  time."  On  the  12th  of  August 
the  whole  original  party  embarked  at  Repulse  Bay,  and 
on  the  Slbt  arrived  at  Churchill. 

The  return  of  Captain  Sir  James  Clarke  Ross,  in  1844, 
from  his  brilliant  career  in  the  Antarctic  Ocean,  gave  a 
sudden  stimulus  in  England  to  the  old  craving  for  the 
discovery  of  a  north-west  passage.  The  ships  Erebus 
and  Terror  were  now  famous  for  their  fitness  to  brave 
the  dangers  of  the  ice,  and  could  be  rcequipped  at  com- 
paratively small  cost.  Naval  officers  and  whale-fisher- 
men and  hardy  seamen  were  fired  with  the  spirit  of 
adventure.  Statesmen  panted  to  send  the  British  flag 
across  all  the  breadth  of  the  Polar  Sea ;  scientific  gen- 
llemen  longed  for  decisions  in  terrestrial  magnetism, 
which  could  be  obtained  only  in  the  regions  around  the 
magnetic  pole  ;  and,  though  merchants  and  other  utilita- 
rians could  never  again  regaid  the  old  notion  of  a  com- 
mercial highway  to  the  Indian  seas  through  Behring's 
Strait  as  worthy  of  consideration,  yet  multitudes  of  the 
curious,  among  all  classes  of  society,  were  impationl  to 
have  the  veil  penetrated  which  had  so  long  hid  from  the 
world's  wondering  gaze  the  mysteries  of  the  ice-girt 
archipelago  of  the  north.  The  very  difficulties  of  the 
enterprise,  together  with  the  disasters  or  failures  of  all 
former  expeditions,  only  roused  the  general  resolution. 

Sir  Jolni  Barrow,  Secretary  to  the  Admiralty,  had  for 
thirty  years  been  the  fervent  advocate  of  every  enter- 
prise which  could  throw  light  on  the  Arctic  regions,  and 


"ki-ri**' 


^fl 


256 


FRANKLIN'S  LAST  VOYAGR 


had  incessantly  bent  in  thatdiroclion  (ho  powerful  inflii 
ence  which  he  wieldod ;  and  now  again  was  ho  at  hia 
vocation.  Lieut.  Col.  Sabine,  also,  wlioso  opinion  car- 
ried much  weight,  declared  "that  a  final  attempt  to 
Jnake  a  north-west  passage  would  render  the  most 
important  service  that  now  remained  to  be  performed 
toward  the  completion  of  the  magnetic  survey  of  the 
globe."  The  Lords  of  the  Admiralty  and  the  Council 
of  the  Royal  Society  gave  a  formal  assent ;  and  Sir 
John  Franklin,  the  hero  of  eomc  most  i)crilous  exploits 
'vithin  the  Arctic  circle,  who  now  stood  out  to  view  as 
the  likeliest  man  to  conduct  the  desired  enterprise,  had 
said  in  1836,  and  continued  to  say  still,  "that  no  8(>r- 
vice  was  nearer  to  his  heart  than  the  completion  of  the 
Bui-vey  of  the  north-west  coast  of  America,  and  the 
accomplishment  of  a  north-west  passage." 

Tli(>  Erebus  and  the  Terror  were  ordered  to  be  got 
leady.  Both  had  braved  all  the  perils  of  the  Antarctic 
expedition  under  Sir  James  C.  Ross,  and  the  latter  was 
the  ship  of  the  terrific  ice-voyage  of  1836,  in  Hudson's 
Bay.  They  were  the  best-tested  and  the  best-appurte- 
nanced  vessels  which  had  ever  faced  the  frozen  regions  ; 
and  each  was  now  fitted  with  a  small  steam-engine  and 
screw-propeller.  Sir  John  Franklin  was  appointed  to 
the  chief  command,  and  hoisted  his  flag  in  the  Erebus  ; 
and  Captain  Richard  Crozier,  who  had  been  the  distin- 
guished colleague  of  Sir  James  C.  Ross  in  the  Antarctic 
voyage,  was  appointed  to  the  Terror.  So  many  naval 
officers  volunteered  their  services,  that,  had  all  been  ac- 
cepted, they  might  themselves  have  completely  manned 
•-he  ships.  The  total  number  of  persons  put  on  board 
was  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight :  and  they  formed  as 
select,  resolute,  and  experienced  a  body  of  adventurers 
as  ever  went  to  sea.  The  transport  Daretto  «unior, 
also,  under  the  command  of  Lieut.   Griffith,  was  laden 


FRANKLIN'S  LAST  VOYAQE. 


257 


with   oulstoros,    to   be   discharged   into   the  shipa  in 
Davis's  Strait. 

The  official  instructions  to  Sir  John  Fran]<lin  wore 
minute,  comprehensive,  and  far-sighted,  and  made  pro- 
vision for  all  important  contingencies.     But  only  those 
of  them  which  relate  to  the  main  conduct  of  the  expedi- 
tion possess  much  public  interest ;  and  these,  taken  in 
connection  with  the  mournful  and  exciting  mystery  into 
which  the  ships  so  soon  passed,  seem  too  momentous  to 
allow  of  much  abridgment.    "On  putting  to  sea,"  said 
they,  "  you  are  to  proceed,  in  the  first  place,  by  such  a 
route  as,  from  the  wind  and  weather,  you  may  deem  to 
be  the  most  suitable  for  despatch,  to  Davis's  Strait, 
taking  the  transport  with  you  to  such  a  distance  up 
that  strait  as  you  may  be  able  to  proceed  without  imped- 
iment from  ice,  being  careful  not  to  risk  that  vessel  by 
allowing  her  to  be  beset  in  the  ice,  or  exposed  to  any 
violent  contact  with  it.     You  will  then  avail  yourself 
of  the  earliest  opportunity  of  clearing  the  transport  of 
the  provisions  and  stores  with  which  she  is  charged  for 
the  use  of  the  expedition  ;  and  you  are  then  to  send  her 
back  to  England,  giving  to  the  agent  or  master  such 
directions  fur  his  guidance  as  may  appear  to  you  most 
proper,  and  reporting  by  that  opportunity  your  proceed- 
ings  to   our  secretary  for  our  information.     You  will 
then  proceed,  in  the  execution  of  your  orders,  into  Baf- 
fin's Bay,  and  got,  as  soon  as  possible,  to  the  western 
side  of  the  strait,  provided  it  should  appear  to  you  that 
the  ice  chiefly  prevails  on  the  eastern  side  or  near  the 
niiildle,  the  object  being  to  enter  Lancaster  Sound  with 
as  little  delay  as  possible. 

"  Hut,  as  no  specific  directions  can  be  given,  owing 
to  tiie  position  of  the  ice  varying  from  year  to  year,  you 
will,  of  course,  be  guided  by  your  own  observations  as 
to    the  course    most  eligible  to  be  taken,  in  order  ic 

IT 


258 


FR-VJNKLIA  S  LVST  VOYAGE. 


bsuro  a  speedy  arrival  in  the  sound  above-mentioned 
As,  however,  we  have  tliought  fit  to  cause  each  ship  t'; 
be  fitted  with  a  small  steam-engine  and  propeller,  to  bo 
usod  only  in  pushing  the  ships  through  channels  be- 
tween masses  of  ice  when  the  wind  is  adverse,  or  in  a 
calm,  we  trust  the  difficulty  usually  found  in  such  cases 
will  be  much  obviated.  But,  as  tlie  supply  of  fiiol  to 
be  taken  in  the  ships  is  necessarily  small,  you  will  use 
it  only  in  cases  of  difficulty. 

"  Lancaster  Sound  and  its  continuation  through  Bar- 
row's Strait,  having  been  four  times  navigated  without 
any  iinpi.'diment  by  Sir  Edward  Parry,  and  since  fre- 
quently by  whaling-ships,  will  probably  be  found  with- 
out any  obstacles  from  ice  or  islands  ;  and  Sir  Edward 
Parry  having  also  proceeded  from  the  latter  in  a  straight 
course  to  Melville  Island,  and  returned  without  experi- 
encing any  or  very  little  difficulty,  it  is  hoped  that  the 
remaining  portion  of  the  passage,  about  nine  hundred 
miles,  to  Behring's   Strait,  may  also  be  found  equally 
free  from  obstruction  ;  and  in  proceeding  to  the  west- 
ward, therefore,  you  will  not  stop  to  examine  any  open- 
ings either  to  tiio  northward  orflouthward  in  that  strait, 
but  ci.ntinne  to  push  to  the  W(!stward,  without  loss  of 
time,  in  the  latitude  of  about  Tt|°,  till  j-ou  have  reached 
the  longitude  of  that  portion  of  land  on  which  Capo 
Walker  is   situated,    or  about   98"   west.     From   that 
point  we  desire  that  every  efibrt  be  used  to  endeavor  to 
penetrate  to  the  southward  and  westward,  in   a  course 
as  direct  towards  Behring's  Strait  as  the  position  and 
extent  of  the  ice,  or  the  existence  of  land,  at  present 
unknown,  may  admit. 

"  Wc  direct  you  to  this  particular  part  of  the  Polnr 
Sea  as  afiljrding  the  best  prospect  of  accomplishing  tho 
passage  to  the  Pacific,  in  consequence  of  tho  unusual 
magnitude  and  apparently  fixed  state  of  the  barrier  of 


FRANKLIN'S  LAST  VOYAGE. 


lc\) 


Ice  observed  by  the  Hecla  and  Griper  in  the  year  1820, 
off  Cape  DuiidiiH,  the  south-western  extremity  of  Mel- 
%-ilIe  IhUvikI  ;  and  wo  therefore  consider  that  loss  of  timfl 
would  bo  incurred  in  renewing  tlio  Attempt  in  that 
direction.  But,  sliould  your  progress  in  the  direction 
before  ordered  bo  arrested  by  ice  of  a  permanent  appear, 
ance,  and  hould  you,  when  passing  the  mouth  of  the 
Btrait  bctwen  Devon  and  Cornwallis's  Ishmds,  have 
observed  that  it  was  open  and  clear  of  ice,  we  desire 
that  you  will  duly  consider,  with  reference  to  the  time 
already  consumed,  as  well  as  to  the  symptoms  of  a  late 
or  early  close  of  the  season,  whctlier  that  cliannel  might 
not  offer  a  more  practicable  outlet  from  the  arciiipelago, 
and  a  more  ready  access  to  the  open  sea,  where  there 
would  be  neither  islands  nor  banks  to  arrest  and  fix  tho 
floating  ini'sses  of  ice. 

"And  if  you  should  have  ^u/anced  too  far  to  tho 
Bouth-wcstward  to  render  it  expedient  to  adopt  this 
new  course  before  tho  end  of  the  present  season,  and  if, 
therefore,  :,ou  should  have  determined  to  winter  in  that 
neighborhood,  it  will  be  a  matter  for  your  niature  delib- 
eration whether,  in  the  ensuing  season,  you  would  pro. 
ceed  by  the  above-mentioned  strait,  or  whether  you 
should  persevere  to  the  south-westward,  according  to 
the  fonvicr  directions. 

"  You  are  well  aware,  having  yourself  been  one  of  tho 
mteirigent  travellers  who  have  traversed  the  American 
dhore  of  the  Polar  Sea,  that  the  groups  of  islands  that 
stretch  from  that  shore  to  the  northward,  to  a  distance 
uot  yet  known,  do  not  extend  to  tho  westward  further 
than  about  the  one  hundred  and  twentieth  degree  of 
wt.stern  longitude  ;  and  that  b.-yond  this,  and  to  Beh- 
ring's  Strait,  no  land  is  visible  from  the  American  shore 
Of  the  Polar  Sea.  In  an  und(-rtaking  of  this  description, 
much  mu8t  be  always  k      t,   the  discretion  of  the  conv 


,f  !     • '    All 


m  ■ 


260 


FRANKLIN'S  LAST  VOYAGE. 


mandiiig  officer ;  and,  m  the  objects  of  thin  expedition 
have  been  fully  explained  to  you,  and  you  have  already 
had  much  experience  on  service  of  this  nature,  we  are 
convinced  we  cannot  do  better  than  leave  it  to  your 
judgment." 

He  was  instructed,  also,  in  the  event  of  reaching 
Behring'o  Strait,  to  proceed  to  th(>  Sandwich  Islands 
and  Panama,  and  to  put  an  officer  ashore  at  the  latter 
place  with  despatches. 

The  ships  sailed  from  the  Thames  on  the  19th  of 
May,  1845.     The  Erebus  and  the  Terror  received  the 
tiat.suort's  stores,  and  dismissed  her  in  Davis's  Strait, 
and  [hen  hj,d  ahi.mdant   provisions  of  every  kind  for 
three  years,  besides  five  bullocks.     They  wero  seen  by 
the  whaler  Prince  of  Vfales,  on  the  26th  of  July,  moored 
to  an  iceberg,  waiting  for  aa  opening  through  the  long 
vast  body  of  ice  which  extends  along  i;.e  middle  of  Baf- 
fin's Bay.     They  were  then  in  latitude  74°  48'  north,  and 
longitude  GG"  13'  west,  not  far  from  the  centre  of  Baffin's 
Bay,   and  about  two  hundred  and  Um  miles  from  th^ 
entrance  of  L.uij;.ster  ffoind. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

.".KTT     ,X     UK„AHD    TO     rRANKU.V     AND     M,S     8......S.  -  TBRKK     MHM,,. 

T.0N8  OP  8EAUCH  SKNT  OW.  _  KK.,..KTT  ANH  MOOUK'h  K.XPKmT.O.M  BT 
BEIIR.NQS  STRAIT. -.18  RKTURN.  _  R.cHAKnSoN  8  A.VI,  RAK's  >.A.n 
KXi.LORAT.O.NS.-SlR  J.  C.  „088's  EX..KmTIO.V  ,>V  LANCA8TKR  SOUND. 
-THE  EXl-LOREUS  RETURN  UNSUCCESSFUL.  -  UEUT.  PULl.EN,  KHOM  THE 
..EHR.NO  STRAIT  EX.-F.mTION,  A8CE.WD8  TUB  M  ACKENZ.E.  -  RETUR  V  TO 
THE  ARCTIC  SEA  AND  UACK.-THE  SEASON  OK  1850.  -  ppm.EN's  AHR,- 
VAL   IN   KSOLl  ID. 

TowAUD  the  end  of  the  year  1847,  anxiety  l.e-an  to 
be  felt  in  regard  to  the  fate  of  Franklin  and  hi.s  men 
Xot  a  word  had  been  heard  Ironi  them  since  thoy  had 
l>oen  seen  by  the  Prince  of  Wales  whaler  :  and  appre- 
hension became  general  that  they  had  shared  a  similar 
fate  to  the  Fury  of  Sir  Edward  Parry,  or  the  Victory  of 
Sir  John  Ross.      The  government,  therefore,  promptly 
determmed  to  send  three  expeditions  in  search  of  them. 
The ^  first  was  a  marine   expedition,  by   way  of  Rch- 
ling's  Strait,  to  be  conducted  by  Captails  Fl'Miry  Keliett 
-f  the  ship    Herald,  of  twenty-six    guns,  then  in  the 
Pacific,  aided  by  Commander  Tlu.mas  E.  L.  iinoni,  in 
the  Ph  ver,  surveying  vessel  :    and  this  was  desio-'nod 
to  relieve    Sir   John    Franklin    and  his  companions  in 
til.'  event  of  their  having  gone  through  the  north-west 
pas.sage,  and  stuck  fast  at  some  advanced  point  of  the 
l'"lar  Sea.    The  second  was  an  overland  and  boat  expe- 
dition,  to   be   conducted   by   S.r  John    Kichardson,   to 
descend  the  Mackenzie  River,  and  to  examine  the  coast 
eastward  to  the  Coppermi.ie  ;  and  this  was  designed  to 
afibrd  relief  in  the  event  of  the  adventurers   having 


262 


KELLEH   AND  MOORK'S  KXPKUITION. 


taken  to  tlioir  I  oats  wcstwartl  of  tlio  Norlliorn  Archi 
pcliigo,  ami  forced  their  way  to  t!io  Amorican  continent. 
Tlio  tliird  was  a  marine  expedition,  to  bo  condiictec! 
by  Sir  Junics  Clarke  Ross,  witii  tlio  sliips  Enterpriso  and 
Inves.i{^utor,  through  Lancaster  Sound  and  Barrow'H 
Strait,  to  examine  all  the  tracks  of  tho  missing  ships 
westward  as  far  as  they  could  penetrate  into  the  archi- 
pelago ;  and  this  was  designed  to  all'ord  relief  in  the 
event  of  the  adventurers  having  been  arrested  either  in 
tlie  very  throat  of  tho  supposed  passage,  or  at  sonio 
point  on  this  side  of  it,  and  of  their  attempting  to 
retrace  their  steps.  This  plan  of  search  seemed  com- 
prehensive and  noble,  and  was  carried  with  all  possible 
promptitude  into  execution.  The  Plover  loft  Sheerness 
on  the  Ist  January,  1818  ;  but,  being  a  miserable  sailer, 
did  not  reach  Oahu,  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  till  tho  '22d 
August.  She  was  then  too  late  to  attempt,  that  season, 
any  elBciont  operations  witliin  the  Arctic  Circle,  and 
she  passed  on  to  winter  (jnarters  at  Nnovel,  on  tho  coast 
of  Kamtschatka.  The  Herald,  meanwhile,  had  receivec' 
instructi(jn8  from  homo,  and  gone  nortliward  as  far  as 
Cape  K.rusensteri:,  in  Kotzobue  Smnid,  the  appointed 
rendezvous.  But,  not  being  prepared  to  wiiit(>r  there, 
nor  prepared  fur  explorations  among  ice,  she  returned, 
in  autumn,  to  the  Sandwicli  Islands. 

On  the  80th  June,  1819,  the  Plover  left  Nr)oveI,  and 
on  the  1-lth  July  anchored  ofl'  Chaim'sso  Island,  at  the 
bottom  of  Kotzobue  Sound.  Next  day  she  was  joined 
by  the  Herald  and  by  the  Nancy  Dawson,  the  latter  a 
yacht  ix'longing  to  Robert  Shedden,  Esq.,  who,  in  the 
course  of  a  voyage  of  pleasnn^  round  the  globe,  got 
intelligence  in  China  of  the  intended  expedition  through 
lii'hritig's  Strait  in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  and 
nobly  resolved  to  lievote  liis  vessel  uiid  himself  to  its 
aid.     On  the  ISth  tlie   three  vf<sc|s  left  CIi!>misso  ;   on 


•       KELLKTT  AND   MOOIIE'S  EXPEDITION.  203 

the  20tl.  they  were  off  Cape  Lisburn  ;  ami  <„.  the  25th 
txpoditioii,  uiulcr  Lieut.  Pullcn 

p.I!tii!r  7/r"'"" ""  '^^•*^'"^  *«  ^-'-'^t  the 

overCr'    "  .       ^"'''"^  ''''"•'^'  ^^''"'  t'-««  -^  the 
h  St  t        :^P"'^'- "-»-•  Sir  John  Rieh.rd«o,,  and  to 
inst.tuto   search   and   provide   s,.ccor    for   the   missiu^ 
ad^-.„turerHon  the  likeliest  part  of  the  coast  and    n2 
and  west  of  the  Mackenzie  River.     It  consisted  of  2 
He  aid  s  p.nnace,  decked  over,  and  three  other  boa 
a  d  co„,p,,,,a  tu-enty-five  n,en,  and  had  nearly  tl: 
mentis   provisions  for  its  own  use.,  besides  five  case   of 
pemnucan  for  the  use  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  par  ;Bu 
was  accompanied  also  by  Mr.  Shodden  in  his  ;ach 
was  d,recte  ,  after  proceeding  a  certain  distance'     ng 
the  coast  ,n.shore,  to  return  to  a  rendezvous  with  t  e 
P  over  at  Chamisso  Island,  but  at  the  san.e  time  t.  d  s! 
pa  c    froHMts  furtljest  pointa detachment  in  two  wha  e- 

a    ntf  I.  t     '  ""^f"^'^'^"^'  '">'"--'l  t-y  i''o.-t  Hope 
and  1  oik  i-actory,  m  the  summer  of  IS50 

The  Herald  and  (l,e  Plover,  in  the  mean  while,  bore 

no. th    reached   the   heavily-packed  ice.      Thoy  sailed 
ometnnes    along    the    edge   of    this,    and    sometime 

h.ongh    streams  and  among  floes,  till  the  2Hth,whc' 
tlY/'<-''l  P'-oceed  no  further,  on  account  of  the  p^. 
'^  t  unpenetrableness  of  the  pack.     They  were  then  in 

;.tu.io  72»  51'  m.rth,  and  longitude  'l6ao  4S-  wit 
li  .cv.  as  far  as  it  co„M  be  seen  from  the  n.ast-head, 
.  e  ,1  .v..,v  west-sonth-wostward;  yet,  while  densoi; 
c^mpaef  for  leagues  distant,  seemed  to  bo  broken  by  a 
w.ite.-hne  n.  the  northern  horizon.  On  the  28th  the 
•Inps   came    again  to  the  la.ul,  arul    the   Herald    b«-e 


2ni 


KiM,i:n'  AM)  MDoui/s  i:.\iM:i>rni>N. 


iti  to  rxaminc  Waiiiwright's  Inlet,  \vliilc  CunHnanilcr 
Mcxirt'  wctit  on  mIhuo,  cri'dcil  ii  mark,  iiml  Imri'',!  a 
liottic  containing  information  almiil  tlic  lioals  '\\\\s 
|)liu'i>,  unhappily,  wa.n  found  too  s*lniIIo\v  to  iillonl  liarhor- 
np' ;  ('1«{' it  would  liavr  proved  an  excollent  retreat,  on 
account,  at  once,  of  itn  liij^di  latitinle,  of  it^  heiii;^  ii  roHort 
for  reinilecr,  of  tlic  fritiidlincw  of  tlio  mitivcj^,  and  of 
tliero  beiiij,'  no  nearer  Inirlior  to  the  soutii  tlian  Kotzc- 
Iiuc'h  Sound,  wliilo  oven  tliat  place  was  regarded  liy  the 
ice-mastcrs  aM  an  unsafe  wintering  (juarter. 

Fi'om  the  1st  of  August  till  the  17th,  Cape  Lishurn 
beii.g  afipointed  ior  a  rendezvous,  the  ships  made 
!ie(i^e  explorations  in  various  directions  near  shore, 
and  away  northward  as  far  as  they  c(udd  penetrate.  On 
the  l"th  the  Herald  discovered  a  new  territory.  "  At 
forty  minuies  pasi  nino,"  on  that  ihiy,  says  (Japtaiii 
Kellott,  "  the  exciting  report  of  '  Land  lio  !  '  was  made 
from  tlie  mast-head  :  both  mastdn^ads  were  soon  after- 
wards crowded.  In  runiniig  a  course  along  the  j)ack 
toward  our  lirst  discovery,  a  small  group  of  islands  was 
rejuirted  on  (Uir  port-beam,  a  considerable  distanco 
within  tlie  outer  margin  of  the  ice.  Still  more  distant 
than  this  group  (from  the  deck),  a  very  extensive  and 
liigh  land  was  reported,  which  1  liad  been  watdiing  for 
some  time,  anxiously  (.waiting  a  report  from  some  one 
else.  Then?  was  a  fine  dear  atmosphere  (hucIi  a  one 
as  can  idy  be  seen,  in  this  climate,  except  in  the  direc- 
tion '/f  this  exl«'udcd  lanil),  where  the  chmds  lolled  in 
numerous  immense  masses,  occasionally  leaving  the 
very  lofty  peaks  uiu'api)ed  :  when;  could  be  distiiictly 
Been  columns,  pillars,  all  very  broken,  which  is  rliaraiv 
teristic  of  the  higher  headlands  in  this  sea — Kast  Caji(! 
anil  Cape  Lisburn,  for  example.  With  the  exception  of 
*he  north-east  and  south-(>ast  extremes,  mme  of  llie  lowei 
land  could  be  seen,  uidess,  indeed,  what  I  took,  at  first, 


KKLLUn  AND  MUOIIK'S  J;Xl'KbIT[ON.  265 

f..r  ft  Hinall  p^rouf.  of  iHl.iu.lH  witl.in  tlio  puck  odj^c  was 
a  point  of  (l.iH  groat  luml.     TIuh  isliu.,!,  <„  point,  was 
diHtatit  twei.ty-(Ive  milcg  from  the  «iiip'H  tra.k  ;  i.i^rl.or 
partH  of  tlio  luud  Mooruod  not  Iohb,  1  connidcr,  than  nixty 
When  wo  hove  to  off  tho  fiiBt  lar.d  soon.,  U.o  northern 
exttenic  of  the  ki        I  ind  Hhowed  out  to  tho  eastward 
fur  a  n,on,ent,  and  ho  ch-ar  as  to  cause  some  who  had 
<l<Hihts  l.(.foro  to  cry  out,  'There,  sir,  is  the  land  quite 
flmn.'  "     They  afterwards  ran   up   to   tho  island,  ar.d 
landed  upon  it,  au.l  found  it  a  s..Iid  and  ahuost  inaccess- 
iblo  mass  of  granite,  about  four  and  »  half  miles  long 
two  and  a  half  miles  broad,  and  fourteen  hundred  feet 
hiK^h.      Its  si( nation  is  latitude  W  20'  north,  and  lontri- 
tu.io    17r,»    IG'  west.      The   distant   n.ountainous    land 
Koerned  t..  be  extensive,  an.l  was  supposed   by  Captain 
Keliett  to  be  a  continuati.,,.  of  the  lofty  range  seen  by 
<...■  natives  off  Oape  Jakan,  in  Asia,  and   mentione.l  by 
Baron  Wrangell,  in  I.js  P„Iar  V..yageH. 

In  tho  vicinity  of  (Jape  Lisburn.  <„.  the  24th  August 
the  Nancy  Dawson,  an-l  the  return  boats  of  Lieut' 
i  ullen  s  .■xp(,..liti..n,  n-joined  the  Herald.  They  had 
«<'arche.l  the  coast  as  liir  east  as  Dease's  Inlet,  and  had 
there  parted  with  the  two  whale-boats  ;  and  had  at 
Hovera!  points,  made  ,h-posits  of  provisions,  but  had'nut 

••''''^"HMl  the  slightest  intelligence  of  the  missing  ;idven- 
turcrs.  .Mr.  Shedden  had  been  particularly  active  ;ind 
daring,  and  had  many  times  put  his  yacht  in  peril 
And,  ,t  ,s  painful  to  ad.I,  though  this  is  Baid  in  antici- 
pat.o,>  nf  the  date,  that  ho  fell  a  victim  to  his  excessive 
t'xertiuMs  during  the  noble  Rervice.  He  died,  ei-ht  .„ 
t<'n  w.'rkf.  after,  at  Mazatlan. 

On  the  Ist  of  September  tho  two  ships  and  the  yacht 
rende.vnnse,!  in  Ivot.ebue  Sound.  Upwards  of  a  fort- 
nighl  was  now  spent  in  maky.g  an  interesting  c  xrdor* 
tion  up  the  iJucklan  I  River,  and  in  establishing  frie.db 


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266        RICHARDSON'S  AND  RAE'S  EXPLORATIONS. 


relations  with  the  natives.  The  wliolo  month  of  Sep- 
tember was  remarkably  fine,  the  frost  to  the  latest  so 
light  as  not  to  arrest  the  streams,  and  strong  winds 
generally  blowing  from  the  cast.  The  Plover  prepared 
to  winter  in  Kotzebue  Sound,  with  the  view  of  making 
further  researches,  and  received  from  her  consort  a» 
much  provisions  as  she  could  stow  or  take  care  of. 
And  on  the  29th  September  the  Herald  and  the  yacht 
weighed  anchor,  and  stood  away  for  the  south. 

On  the  10th  July,  1850,  the  Herald  again  joined  the 
Plover  at  Chamisso  Island  ;  and  the  two  ships  then  set 
out  together  on  another  exploration.  They  proceeded 
northward  till  they  sighted  the  pack-ice,  and  then  sepa- 
rated —  the  Herald  to  return  in  quest  of  another  and 
stronger  expedition  which  had  sailed  from  England, 
and  which  we  shall  afterwards  have  occasion  to  notice  ; 
and  the  Plover  to  prosecute  the  search  eastward  along 
the  coast.  Commander  Moore,  by  mci-ns  of  his  boats, 
made  minute  examination  of  all  the  inlets  between  Icy 
Cape  and  Point  Barrow ;  he  and  his  men  suffered  se- 
verely from  exposure  to  cold ;  but  they  were  entirely 
unsuccessful  in  the  object  of  their  search.  The  two 
ships  again  fell  in  with  each  other  off  Cape  Lisburn  on 
the  13th  August ;  and  Captain  Kellett  eventually  gave 
full  victualling  to  the  Plover,  ordered  her  to  winter  in 
Grantley  Harbor,  and  then,  toward  the  close  of  the  open 
season,  returned  through  Behring's  Strait  on  his  way  to 
England.  Thus,  in  October,  1850,  ended  this  first  west- 
ern searching  expedition,  without  having  thrown  one 
ray  of  light  on  the  probable  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin. 

The  second  searching  expedition  was  the  overland 
one,  under  the  command  of  Sir  John  Richardson.  In 
preparation  for  it,  several  boats,  seven  tons  of  perami- 
can,  large  quantities  of  other  provisions  and  stores,  five 
seamen,  and  fifteen  sappers  and  miners,  wrre  embarked 


-rr~~p — "~j — 'w 


1 '  ' 

^^^^B    .. 

t 

RICHARDSON'S   AND  RAE'S  EXPLORATIONS.        269 

at  Gravesend,  on  board  of  ships  of  the  Hudson's  Bav 
Company,  ou  the  4th  June,  1847.     Sir  Johi,  Kichardson 
and  Mr.  Rue  left  Liverpool  on  the  25th  March,  1848 
and  succeeded  in  overtaking  Chief-trader  J.^oil,  in  char-e 
of  the  boats  and  the  men,  at  Methy  Porta-e,  on  the 
20th  Jane.     The  whole  party  reached  the  last  portage 
on  Slave  River  on  the  15th  July,  and  there  they  divider* 
into  a  seaward  or  exploring  party,  under  Sir  John  Kiel, 
ardson  and  Mr.  Rae,  and  a  landward  or  auxiliary  party 
under  Mr.  Bell.     The  seaward  party  comprised  three 
boats,  with  full  loads  of  pemmican,  and  eighteen  men 
and  immediately  embarked.     The  landward  party  com' 
prised  two  boats  and  the  stores  for  winter  use,  and 
were  directed  to  make  the  best  of  their  way  to  Great 
Bear  Lake,  to  coast  round  its  w^-tern  shore,  and  to 
establish  a  fishery  at  its  west  end,  near  the  site  of  Fort 
Franklin,  for  tho  convenience  of  the  seaward  party,  in 
the  event  of  itt,  naving  to  return  up  the  Mackenzie ; 
to  erect,  at  its  Dorth-eastem  extremity,  near  the  influx 
of  the  Dease  Rivor,  suitable  dwelling-houses  and  store, 
houses  f(jr  winter  quarters  ;  and,  in  the  beginning  of 
September,  to  despatch  a  well-tried  Cree  Indian  and  a 
native  hunter  to  the  banks  of  the  Coppermine,  there  to 
hunt  till  the  20th  of  that  month,  and  to  keep  a  diligent 
outlook  for  the  arrival  of  the  boats. 

The  seaward  party  reached  the  sea  on  the  4th  of 
August.  On  their  way  down,  they  put  ashore,  at  Fort 
Good  Hope,  the  lowest  of  the  company's  posts  on  the 
Mackenzie,  three  bags  of  pemmican  for  the  use  of  any 
party  from  the  Plover,  or  from  Sir  James  Ross's  ships 
who  might  reach  that  establishment  At  Point  Separa-' 
tion,  also,  which  forms  the  apex  of  tne  delta  of  the  Mac- 
kenzie, they  deposited  one  case  of  pemmican  and  a 
bottle  of  memoranda,  and  letters  for  the  use  of  Sir  John 
Franklin's  party,  burying  them  in  the  circumlerencA  of 


270       RICHARDSON'S  AND  RAE'S  EXPLORATIONa 


i_v!. 


a  circle  with  a  ten-feet  radius,  from  the  point  of  a  broad 
arrow  painti-il  on  a  eignul-post ;  and  they  afterwarcis 
did  the  same  thing,  or  simihir,  on  Whale  Island,  at  the 
month  of  the  Mackenzie ;  on  Point  Toker,  in  latitude 
69»  38'  north,  and  longitude  132°  15'  west ;  on  Capo 
Bathurst,  tlio  most  northerly  point  between  the  Mac- 
kenzie and  the  Coppermine  ;  and  on  Cape  Parry,  at  the 
east  side  of  the  entrance  of  Franklin  Bay. 

The  explorers  encountered  head  winds  throughout 
most  of  tlieir  progress  of  eight  hundred  miles  or  up- 
wards, from  the  exit  of  the  Mackenzie  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Coppermine  ;  and  they  always  kept  near  the  shore, 
and  landed  at  least  twice  a  day  to  cook,  occasionally  to 
hunt,  often  to  look  out  from  the  high  capes,  and  com- 
monly, at  night,  to  sleep  on  shore.  Immediately  off  the 
efflux  of  the  Mackenzie  they  had  an  interview  with 
about  three  hundred  Esquimaux ;  and  at  many  subse- 
quent pouits  they  communicated  with  other  parties, 
who  were  assembled  on  headlands  to  hunt  whales,  or 
scattered  along  the  coast  in  pursuit  of  reindeer  and 
water-fowl.  The  Esquimaux  were  confiding  and  frank, 
and  all  said  that  no  ships  had  recently  appeared  on  the 
coast ;  and  those  west  of  Cape  Bathurst  further  said 
that  during  tlie  preceding  six  weeks  they  never  saw 
any  ice 

One  fellow  alone,  in  answer  to  inquiries  after  white 
men,  said,  "  A  party  of  men  are  living  on  that  island,' 
pointing,  as  ho  spoke,  to  Richard's  Island.  As  Rich- 
ardson had  actually  landed  there  on  the  preceding  day, 
he  ordered  the  interpreter  to  inform  him  that  he  knew 
that  he  was  lying.  lie  received  this  retort  with  a  smile, 
and  without  the  slightest  discomposure,  but  did  not 
repeat  his  assertion.  Neither  the  Esiiuimaux  nor  the 
Dog-rib  or  Hare  Indians  feel  the  least  shame  in  being 
detected  in  falsehood ;  and  they  invariably  practise  it, 


RICHARDSON'S  AND   liAE'S  EXPLORATIONS.        271 


If  they  think  that  they  can  thereby  gain  any  of  tlicii 
petty  ends.  Even  in  their  familiar  intercourae  with 
each  other,  the  Indians  seldom  tell  the  truth  in  the  first 
instance  ;  and  if  they  succeed  in  exciting  admiration  or 
.istonishnicnt,  their  invention  runs  on  without  check. 
From  the  manner  of  the  speaker,  rather  than  by  his 
words,  is  his  truth  or  falsehood  inferred ;  and  often  a 
very  long  interrogation  is  necessary  to  elicit  the  i«al 
fact. 

"  The  Esquimaux,"  says  Richardson,  "  are  essen- 
tially a  littoral  people,  and  inhabit  nearly  five  thousand 
miles  of  seaboard,  from  the  Straits  of  Belleisle  to  the 
Peninsula  of  Alaska ;  not  taking  into  the  measurement 
the  various  indentations  of  the  coast-line,  nor  including 
West  and  East  Greenland,  in  which  latter  locality  they 
make  their  nearest  approach  to  the  western  coasts  of  the 
Old  Worid.  Throughout  ihe  great  linear  range  here 
indicated,  there  is  no  material  change  in  their  language, 
nor  any  variation  beyond  what  would  be  esteemed  in 
England  a  mere  provincialism.  Albert,  the  interpreter, 
who  was  born  on  the  East  Main,  or  western  shore  of 
James's  Bay,  had  no  great  difficulty  in  understanding 
and  making  himself  understood  by  the  Esquimaux  of 
the  estuary  of  the  Mackenzie,  though  by  the  nearest 
coast-line  the  distance  between  the  two  localities  is  at 
least  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles. 

"The  habit  of  associating  in  numbers  for  the  chase 
of  the  whale  has  sown  among  them  the  elements  of 
civilization  ;  and  such  of  them  as  have  been  taken  into 
the  company's  service,  at  the  fur-posts,  fall  readily  inio 
the  ways  of  their  white  associates,  and  are  more  indus- 
trious, handy,  and  intelligent,  than  the  Indians.  The  few 
interpreters  of  the  nation  that  I  have  been  acquainted 
with  (four  in  all)  were  strictly  honest,  and  adhered  rigidly 
to  the  truth;  and  I  have  e^ery  reason  tc  believe  that 


272        RICHARDSON'S   AND  RAE'S  EXPLORATIONa 


v.|.  ■ 


within  their  own  community  the  rights  of  property  are 
hold  in  great  respect,  even  the  huntinj-grouncls  of  fami' 
lies  being  kept  sacred.  Yet  their  covetousness  of  the 
property  of  strangers,  and  their  dexterity  in  tliioving, 
are  remarkable,  and  they  seem  to  have  most  of  the  vices, 
as  well  as  the  virtues,  of  the  Norwegian  Vikings.  Their 
personal  bravery  is  conspiQuous,  and  they  are  the  only 
native  nation  on  the  North  American  continent  who 
oppose  their  enemies  face  to  face  in  open  fight.  In- 
stead of  flying,  like  the  northern  Indians,  on  the  sight 
of  a  stranger,  they  did  not  scruple,  in  parties  of  two  or 
three,  to  come  off  to  our  boats  and  enter  into  barter ; 
and  never,  on  any  occasion,  showed  the  least  disposi- 
tion to  yield  anything  belonging  to  them  through  fear." 
The  Esquimaux  winter  huts  are  thus  described  : 

"These  buildings  are  generally  placed  on  points 
where  the  water  is  deep  enough  for  a  boat  to'come  to 
tiie  beach,  such  a  locality  being  probably  selected  by 
the  natives  to  enable  them  to  tow  a  whale  or  seal  more 
closely  to  the  place  where  it  is  to  be  cut  up.  The 
knowledge  of  this  fact  induced  us  generally  to  look  lor 
the  buildings  when  we  wished  to  land.  The  houses  are 
constructed  of  drift-timber,  strongly  built  together,  and 
covered  with  earth  to  the  thickness  of  from  one  to  two 
feet.  Light  and  aii'  are  admitted  by  a  low  door  at  one 
end  ;  and  even  this  entrance  is  closed  by  a  slab  of  snow 
in  the  winter  time,  when  their  lamps  supply  them  with 
heat  as  well  as  light.  Ten  or  twelve  people  may  seat 
themselves  in  the  area  of  one  of  these  houses,  though 
not  comfortably  ;  and  in  the  winter  the  imperfect  admis- 
sion of  fresh  air,  and  the  effluvia  arising  from  the  greasy 
bodies  of  a  whole  family,  must  render  them  most  disa- 
greeable as  well  as  unwholesome  abodes.  I  have  been 
told  that  when  the  family  alone  are  present,  the  several 
members  of  it  sit  partly  or  even  wholly  naked  " 


RICUARDSO.VS  AND  RAE'S  EXPLORATIONa.       273 

The  explorers  met  floes  of  drift-ice  for  the  first  tim« 
after  rounding  Capo  Parry,  but  they  encountered  then. 
more  numerously  as  they  approached  Dolphin  and  Union 
Strait      On  the  22d  of  August  they  had  a  strong  gale 
from  the  west;  and  on  the  next  morning  they  found 
themselves  hemmed  in  by  dense  packs,  extending  as  fur 
•is  the  eye  could  reach.     The  weather  had  hitherto  been 
genial,  but  now  it  passed  into  perpetual  frost,  with  fre- 
quent snow-storms.     The  expedition  henceforth  got  on 
with  great  difficulty ;  and  when  thoy  hud  penetrated 
well  up  the  west  side  of  Coronation  Gulf,  they  were 
engirdled   by  rigorous   winter,  and  felt  compelled    to 
abandon  their  boats.     They,  therefore,  were  unable  to 
fulfil  a  portion  of  their  official  instructions,  which  directed 
them  to  examine  the  western  and  southern  shores  of 
VVollaston  Land,  lying  north-west  of  Coronation  Gulf  • 
and  during  eleven  days,  from  the  2d  till  the  13th  of 
beptember,  they  travelled  by  land,  up  the  valley  of  the 
Coppermine,   to  their  appointed  winter  home  at  Fort 
Confidence,  at  the  north-eastern  extremity  of  the  Grea. 
Bear  Lake.     Next  summer  Sir  John  Richardson  returned 
to  England. 

^  In  his  official  report  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty 
bir  John  says :  "  In  the  voyage  between  the  Macken- 
zie and  Coppermine,  I  carefully  executed  their  lordships' 
instructions  with   respect  to   the   examination  of  the 
coast-line,  and  became  fully  convinced  that  no  ships 
had  passed  within  view  of  the  mainland.     It  is  indeed 
nearly  impossible  that  they  could  have  done  so  unoN 
sei-ved  by  some  of  the  numerous  parties  of  Esquimaux 
on    the    look-out    for  whales.     We    were,    moreover 
informed  by  the  Esquimaux  of  Back's  Inlet  that  the  ice 
had  been  pressing  on  their  shore  nearly  the  whole  sum- 
laer ;  and  its  closely-packed  condition  when  we  left  it 
on  the  4th  of  September,  made  it  highly  improbable 


■ 


274       RICHARDSON'S  AND  RAE'S  EXPLORATIONS. 

that  it  would  open  for  ship  navigation  lutor  in  th« 
Boaaou. 

"  I  regretted  oxtromcly  that  the  state  of  the  ice  pre- 
vented ine  from  crossing  to  Wollaston  Land,  and  thun 
completing,  in  one  season,  the  whole  scheme  of  their 
lordships'  instructions.  The  opening  between  Wollas- 
ton  and  Victoria  Lands  has  always  ap[)eared  to  mo  to 
possess  great  interest ;  for  through  it  the  Hood-tide  evi- 
dently sots  into  Coronation  Gulf,  diverging  to  the  west- 
ward by  the  Dolphin  and  Union  Strait,  and  to  the  east- 
ward round  Capo  Alexander.  By  the  fifth  clause  of  Sir 
John  Franklin's  instructions,  ho  is  directed  to  steer 
south-westward  from  Cape  Walker,  which  would  lead 
him  nearly  in  the  direction  of  the  strait  in  question.  If 
Sir  John  found  Barrow's  Strait  as  open  as  when  Sir 
Edward  Parry  passed  it  on  four  previous  occasions,  1 
am  convinced  that  (complying  as  exactly  as  he  could 
with  his  instructions,  and  without  looking  into  Welling- 
ton Sound,  or  other  openings  either  to  the  south  or  north 
of  Barrow's  Strait)  ho  pushed  directly  west  to  Capo 
Walker,  and  from  thence  south-westwards.  If  so,  tlio 
ships  were  probably  shut  up  on  some  of  the  passages 
between  Victoria,  Banks',  and  Wollaston  Lands. 

"  Being  apprehensive  that  the  boats  I  left  on  the 
coast  would  be  broken  up  by  the  Esquimaux,  and  being, 
moreover,  of  opinion  that  the  examination  of  the  open- 
ing in  question  might  be  safely  and  efficiently  performed 
in  the  only  remaining  boat  I  had  fit  for  the  transport 
from  Bear  Lake  to  the  Coppermine,  I  determined  to 
intrust  this  important  service  to  Mr.  Rae,  who  volun- 
teered, and  whose  ability  and  zeal  in  the  cause  I  cannot 
loo  highly  commend.  He  selected  an  excellent  crew, 
all  of  them  experienced  voyageurs,  and  capable  of  find- 
ing their  way  back  to  Bear  Lake  without  guides,  should 
any  unforeseen  accident  deprive  them  of  their  leader 


Bin  J.   C.   ROSS'S   EXI'EDITrON. 


276 


fn  the  month  of  March  (1819)  a  Hufficiont  supply  of 
peminicuii,  uiid  othor  nccoNsary  Htoroo,  with  the  equip, 
monts  of  the  boat,  were  transported  over  the  snow  on 
dog-HlcdfrcH  to  a  navigable  part  of  the  Kendall  River 
and  loft  there  under  the  charge  of  two  men.     As  soon 
as  the  Doase  broke  up  in  Juno,  Mr.  Rae  would  follow, 
with  the  boat,  the  rest  of  the  crew,  and  a  party  of  Indian 
hunters,  and  would  descend  the  Coppermine  River  about 
the  middle  of  July,  at  which  time  the  sea  generally 
begins  to  break  up.     He  would  then,  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble, cross  from  Cape  Krusenstern  to  Wollaston  Land, 
and  endeavor  to  penetrate  to  the  northward,  erecting 
signal-columns,  and  making  deposits   on   conspicuous 
headlands,  and  especially  on  the  north  shore  of  Banks' 
Land,  should   he   bo    fortunate  enough  to  attain  that 
coast.     He  was  further  instructed  not  to  hazard  the 
safety  of  his  party  by  remaining  too  long  on  the  north 
side  of  Dolphin  and  Union  Strait,  and  to  be  guided  in 
liis  movements  by  the  season,  the  state  of  the  ice,  and 
Buch  intelligence  as  ho  might  obtain  from  the  Esqui- 
maux.    He  was  also  requested  to  engage  one  or  more 
families  of  Indian  hunters  to  pass  the  summer  of  1850 
on  the  banks  of  the  Coppermine  River,  to  be  ready  ti 
assist  any  party  that  may  direct  their  course  that  way.'' 
Mr.  Rae  repeated  his  elaborate  and  perilous  mission  in 
the  summer  of  1850. 

The  third  and  most  important  of  the  three  searching 
expeditions  of  1848  was  the  marine  one  conducted  by 
Captain  Sir  James  Clarke  Ross.  This  comprised  two 
superb  ships,  —  the  Enterprise,  of  four  hundred  and  sev- 
enty  tons  and  seventy  men,  and  the  Investigator,  of 
four  hundred  and  twenty  tons  and  seventy  men,  both 
as  strong  ah  they  could  be  made,  and  furnished  with 
svery  possibh  appliance.  Each  was  provided  with  a 
f^rew-propelhd  steam-launch,  thirty-one  and  a  half  feet 


A 


276 


SIR  J.  C.   ROSS'S  EXPEDITION. 


11 


long,  and  capnblo  of  an  average  fipocd  of  eleven  milei 
•n  hour.  Captain  11  J  Bird  was  appointed  to  the  com- 
mand of  th(;  InvcHtigator.  Tlio  Hliips  were  inHtnicted 
to  proceod  together  to  the  head  of  Barrow's  Strait ;  and 
the  Enterprise,  if  possible,  to  push  on  to  a  wintering, 
place  about  Winter  Harbor  or  Banks'  Lan'l,  while  the 
InvoHtigator  should  try  to  find  harborage  somewhere 
about  Garnier  Bay  or  Capo  Rennell.  Parties  were  to 
go  from  the  Enterprise  along  respectively  the  eastern 
and  the  western  shores  of  Banks'  Land,  to  cross  Sir 
John  Richiirdson's  expedition  on  the  mainland  ;  and 
parties  from  the  Investigator  were  to  explore  the  coastH 
of  North  Somerset  and  Boothia. 

Tho  expedition  left  the  Thames  on  the  12th  of  May, 
1848,  and  entered  BiifRn's  Bay  early  in  July.     A  letter 
was  written  by  Sir  James  Clarke  Rim,  from  the  Danish 
settlement  of  Upernavik,  on  the   1 2th  of  July,  stating 
that  if,  after  pasHing  a  second  wirjter  at  or  near  Port 
Leopold,  he  should   get   no   intolligence  of  Sir  John 
Franklin  and  his  party,  he  would  send  the  Investigator 
home  to  England,  and  prosecute  a  further  search  in  the 
Enterprise  alone.     The   Lords  of  the  Admiralty  took 
alarm  at  the  possible,  or  even  probable,  consequences 
of  this  excessive  heroism,  and  ordered  the  North  Star 
store-ship,  under  command  of  Mr.  James  Saunders,  to 
get  ready  with  all  speed  to  take  out  instructions  and 
supplies  to  tho  expedition.     Her  prime  object  was  to 
be  the  repleiu'shing  of  the  expedition's  stock  of  pro- 
visions, and  the  enjoining  of  the  Investigator  not  to 
return  to  England  in  the  way  Sir  James  C.  Ross  had 
indicated,  but  to  remain  in  company  with  the  Enter- 
prise ;  and  if  the  North  Star   should  not  succeed   in 
promptly  fulfilling  this   object,  she  was   instructed   to 
land  the  supplies  at  the  furthest  prominent  point  sht- 
could  readily  reach,  and  by  all  means  to  keep  her**'-''' 


SIR  J.   C.   R088  8  EXPEDITION. 


277 


free  from  bcHctmeiit  in  tlio  ico.  and  to  retiini  licforo  tlie 
cloHO  of  the  HouHon.  Slio  Hiiilt'cl  from  tlio  TliumoH  on  tlio 
leili  of  Muy,  IMli,  and  did  not  roturu  that  HoaBon  ;  and 
she  iilso  hfcamo  a  nnhjoct  of  much  {)ul)Iio  anxiety. 

The  Entoipri«o  and  tho  Invi-Htigctor  hfft  Upornavik 
on  tho  13th  of  July,  1848  ;  and,  after  runni.ig  through 
on  intricate  archipehigo  near  tho  mainland,  they  arrived, 
on  tho  20th,  ofi-  Capo  Shackleton,  and  there  made  fiiHt 
to  a  grounded  iceberg.     Tliey  were  joined  there  l)y  tho 
Lord  Gambier  whaling-ship,  whoso  master  informed  them 
that,  having  run  to  tho  southward  with  tho  rest  of  tho 
whalers,  and  having  carefully  examined  tho  pack,  ho 
had  found  it  all  so  close,  compact,  anu  heavy,  as  not  to 
afford  tho  slightest  hope  of  any  ship  being  able  to  find 
an  opening  through  it  that  season  to  the  west.     Ho  had, 
therefore,  returned  to  tho  north,  and  expected  that  all 
the  other  whalers  would  soon  follow  him  ;  and  he  had  a 
very  confident  hope  that  ho  should  get  round  the  north 
end  of  the  pack  by  the  first  week  of  August.     But  "  the 
middle  ice,"  as  this  great  barrier  along  Baffin's  Bay  is 
called,  has  ever  put  the  wits  of  the  whale-fishers  to  the 
severest  trial.     The  earliest  date  at  which  it  has  been 
passed  in  any  year  is  the  12th  of  June  ;  the  latest  at 
which  it  has  been  found  impassable  is  the  9th  of  Septem- 
ber ;  and  the  average  date  of  the  first  ship  of  the  season 
passing  it  is  about  the  13th  of  July.     But  in  1848  it 
could  bo  passed  only  with  extreme  difficulty,  and  only 
by  far  rounding  to  the  north  ;  and,  as  was  afterwards 
ascertained,  the  first  and  almost  oidy  vessel  which  then 
got  past  it  was  tho  Prince  of  Wales,  of  Hull,  on  the  6th 
of  August,  about  latitude  75". 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  2l8t  of  July,  the  expedi 
tion  cast  off  from  the  iceberg,  and  began  to  tow  their 
way  through  loose  streams  of  ice  toward  some  lanes  of 
Witer  in  the  distance.     But  both  on  th's  day  and  on  tho 


m^: 


278 


SIR  J.   C.   ROSS'S  EXPEDITION. 


following  few  clays  they  made  slow  proj,Tcss,  and  were- 
often  in  difficulty.  On  the  morning  of  the  L'Otli,  when 
they  were  off  the  Thiee  Islandb  uf  Baffin,  in  latitude  74' 
north,  at  the  clearing  away  of  a  fog,  tliey  saw  the  Lord 
Gainbier  ",t  some  distance,  standing  under  aU  sail  lo  the 
southward  —  the  unusually  bad  state  of  the  ice  having 
overturned  her  master's  hopes,  and  altered  hi,3  purpose, 
They  pursued  their  course  northward  amid  much  per- 
plexity ;  and,  though  still  fully  expecting  to  bore  their 
way  through  the  pack,  they  wore  so  excessively  retarded 
by  calms  and  barriers,  as  soon  to  lose  all  hope  of  being 
able  to  accomplish  any  considerable  part  of  their  mission 
before  the  setting  in  of  winter.  They  spared  no  exer- 
tions, but  forced  u  progress,  and  even  drove  on  at  the 
expense  of  danger. 

On  the  20th  of  August,  during  a  strong  breeze  from 
the  north-east,  the  ships,  under  all  sail,  bored  through 
a  moderately  ♦liick  pack  ot  ice,  studded  with  perilously 
large  massf^s ;  and  they  sustained  severe  shocks,  yet, 
iiappily,  did  not  receive  any  serious  damage.  They 
gained  the  open  water  on  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  in 
latitude  75^°  north,  and  longitude  68°  west,  and  then 
r^teered  direct  for  Pond's  Bay.  That,  as  is  well  known, 
is  the  giand  scene  of  the  whale-fishery  ;  and  thither  the 
expedition  went  to  inquire  of  any  whaler's  crew  who 
might  have  got  across  to  the  west,  and  also  of  the 
Esquimaux  who  annually  visit  that  locality,  whethei 
they  had  seen  anything  of  the  missing  advontureis. 

On  the  22d  of  August  they  approached  the  ,shor*>. 
about  ten  miles  south  '"f  Pond's  Bay,  and  sa^/  lli?  maic 
pack  so  closely  pressed  lioine  to  the  land,  some  three  or 
four  miles  further  south,  as  to  leave  no  rooi  i  for  ships 
nr  boats  to  pacs.  They  next  stood  in  to  the  bay,  and 
paused  within  half  a  mile  of  the  points  en  which  the 
Esquimr.ux  are  known  to  have  their  summer  residences  • 


SIR  J.  C.    KoSS-S  EXPEDITION. 


27n 


and  they  fired  guns  every  half-hour,  and  closely  e-xan.- 
ined  "very  part  of  the  shore  with  their  glasses,  but  did 
not  get  sight  of  a  si.igle  human  being.  They  then  went 
rlowly  to  the  northward,  and  sometimes  could  not  hold 
their  own  with  the  current,  and  always  kept  so  close  to 
the  land  that  neither  boats  nor  persons  could  escapp 
their  notice,  yet  still  were  unsuccessful. 

On  the  26th  they  arrived  off  Possession  Bay,  at  the 
south  side  of  the  entrance  of  Lancaster  Sound.     A  party 
thorc  went  ashore  to  search  for  traces  of  Sir  John  Frank- 
lin  having  touciied  at  that  general  point  of  rendezvous, 
iMjt  they  found  nothing  except  a  paper  recording  the 
visit  of  Sir  Edward  Parry,  in  1819.    The  expedition  now 
sailed  along  the  coastof  Lancaster  Sound,  keeping  close 
in-shore,  scrutinizing  all  the  seaboard  both   from  the 
deck  a;id  from  tlie  mast-head,  and  fully  expecting  every 
hour  to  see  those  of  whom  they  were  in  search.     Every 
day  thoy  threw  overboard,  from  each  ship,  a  cask  con- 
taining piipers  of  information  of  all  their  proceedings  ; 
and  in  every  fog  they  periodically  fired  guns,  in  every 
tirno  of  darkness  thoy  burned  rockets  and  blue  lights, 
uid  at  all  times  thoy  kept  the  ships  under  such  easy 
sail  that  any  boat  seeing  the  signals  might  have  reached 
thorn.     The  drift  of  the  information  in  the  casks  told  toe 
missing  adventurers  that  no  assistance  could  be  given 
them  at  Pond's  Bay,  or  anywhere  else  on  the  west  coast 
of  Baffin's  Bay;   that  the  Enterprise  and  the  Investi- 
gator wore  on  thoir  way  to  form  a  depOt  of  provisions 
■it  Port  Leopold  :   and  that,  if  the  adventurers  would 
^r-  on  to  that  place,  they  would  either  find  one  of  the 
fillips  there,  or  sec,  along  with  the  provisions,  a  notice 
"('whore  she  might  be  found. 

^  On  the  lat  of  September  the  expedition  arrived  off 
Cape  York,  at  the  east  side  of  the  entrance  of  Princa 
Regent's  I.;!,>t.     ,\  party  was  there  sent  a-hore.  under 


280 


Sm  J.  C.  ROSS'S  EXPEDITION. 


very  diflBcult  circumstances,  to  seek  for  Sir  Jonn  Frank 
lin's  company,  or  for  traces  of  them,  and  to  set  up  a 
conspicuous  mark,  with  a  paper  containing  similar  in- 
formation to  that  in  the  casks.  From  Cape  York  tho 
expedition  stood  over  toward  North-East  Cape,  till  they 
came  to  the  edge  of  a  pack  about  fourteen  miles  broad, 
lying  in  the  way  to  Leopold  Island,  and  too  dense  for 
them  to  penetrate.  They  wished  to  get  with  all  possi- 
ble speed  to  Port  Leopold,  to  fnlfd  the  promise  made  in 
their  notices,  and  were  glad  to  observe  that  the  pack 
which  now  arrested  them  was  still  in  motion,  and  might 
be  expected  soon  to  go  to  pieces  under  some  favorable 
change.  But,  that  no  available  time  might  be  spent  in 
inaction,  they  stood  away,  in  the  mean  time,  to  the 
north  shore  of  Barrow's  Strait,  to  examine  its  numer- 
ous inlets,  and  to  seek  for  a  retreat  harbor.  They 
thoroughly  explored  Maxwell  Bay,  and  several  smaller 
indentations;  and  they  got  so  near  the  entrance  of  Wel- 
lington Channel  as  to  see  that  it  was  firmly  and  impen- 
etrably barred  from  side  to  side  by  ice,  which  h^d  not 
been  broken  up  that  season.  Even  Barrow's  Strait  was 
embarrassed  by  a  greater  quantity  of  ice  than  had  ever 
before  been  seen  in  it  at  the  same  period  of  the  year. 

They  now  stood  to  the  south-west  to  seek  for  a  har- 
bor near  Cape  Rennell ;  but  they  found  a  heavy  body 
of  ice  extending  from  the  west  of  Cornwallis's  Island,  in 
a  compact  mass,  to  Leopold  Island.  They  coasted  along 
this  pack  during  stormy  and  foggy  weather,  and  had 
difficulty  during  the  nights  in  keeping  the  ships  from 
being  beset.  With  the  thermometer  every  night  at  15°, 
you  .g  ice  formed  so  rapidly,  and  became  so  thick,  as  to 
defeat  all  their  efforts  to  pass  through  some  of  even  tho 
looser  streams.  Yet,  after  several  days  of  anxious  and 
arduous  toil,  though  the  pack  still  lingered  about  Leo- 
pold Island  and   North-East  Cape,  they  succeeded  in 


SIR  J.  C.  ROSS'S  EXPEDITION. 


281 


^tting  through  it,  and  entered  the  harbor  of  Port  Leo- 
pold  on  the  11th  September ;  and,  had  they  not  got  i„ 
on  that  day.  they  w„uhl  not  have  got  in  at  all  ;  for,  on 
ho  following  night,  the  main  pack  ca.ne  close  home 
to  the  land,  and  completely  sealed  the  mouth  of  the 
harbor. 

They  were  happy  i„  i.aving  reached  Port  Leopold, 
both  for  their  own  sake  and  for  the  sake  of  their  niis- 
8.on.     They  had  doubted  whether  the  anchorage  would 
be  good ;  but  they  found  it  excellent,  and  saw  at  once 
hat  there  could  not  be  a  better  wintering  place  for  the 
Investigator.     Nor  could  there  have  been  a  fitter  local- 
ity   for   making  a  grand    deposit  of  provisions,    and 
preparing  a  temporary   retreat  for  any   of  Sir  John 
rrankhn  s  company  who  might  be  entangled  among  the 
mtricacies  of  the  archipelago.      Port  Leopold  is  situ 
ated  at  the  junction  of  the  four  great  channels  of  Lan- 
caster Sound,  Bairow'B  Strait,  Wellington  Channel,  and 
Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  and  lies  closely  adjacent  to  any 
route  which  Sir  John  Franklin  could  have  been  likely  to 
pursue  in  the  event  of  his  having  had  to  retrogress  from 
he  vicinity  of  Cape  Walker  ;  so  that  a  lodgment  in  it 
by  the  present  expedition  could   scarcely  escape  the 
notice  of  any  of  Sir  John's  company  who  might  happen 
to  bo  proceeding  from  any  part  whatever  of  the  archi- 
pelago toward  Baffin's  Buy. 

An  effort  was  made  to  bring  the  Enterprise  out,  with 
the  view  of  her  going  westward  to  some  harbor  nearer 
Cape  W  alker.  But  she  was  irretrievably  ice-bo.  nd 
Iho  pack  which  closed  the  harbor's  mouth  never  ,nce 
afforded  a  chance  for  the  egress  of  even  a  boat  ;  and 
across  the  isthmus,  as  far  as  could  be  discerned  from  the 
neighboring  heights,  the  same  extensive  mass  of  heavy 
nummocky  ice,  which  repelled  and  limited  the  expedi- 
tion  8  movements  before  entering,  remained  immovable 


282 


SIR  J.  C.  ROSS'S  EXPEDITION. 


and  formed  a  firm  barrier  all  the  way  over  to  the 
■hore  of  North  Somerset.  Even  if  the  Enterprise  had 
got  out,  she  could  not  have  proceeded  far ;  and  in  all 
probability  would  either  have  been  perilously  beset  in 
the  pack,  or  compelled  to  sail  away  from  it  to  England. 
On  the  12th  October,  therefore,  the  two  ships  were  laid 
fast  in  their  wintering  position,  within  two  hundred 
yards  of  each  other. 

The  earliest  days  after  entering  the  harbor  were  de 
voted  to  the  landing  of  a  good  supply  of  provisions 
upon  Whaler  Point.  In  this  service  the  steam-launch 
proved  of  most  eminent  value,  not  only  carrying  a  large 
cargo  herself,  but  towing  two  deeply-laden  cutters  at 
the  rate  of  four  or  five  knots  through  the  sheet  of  ice 
which  then  covered  the  harbor,  and  which  no  boat, 
unaided  by  steam,  could  have  penetrated  beyond  her 
own  length.  Tiio  crews  spent  the  dead  of  winter  in  a 
similar  manner  to  those  of  former  Arctic  expeditions. 
But  they  probably  felt  much  depressed  by  thinking  on 
the  fate  of  those  whom  they  had  been  unsuccessfully 
seeking,  and  they  had  to  contend  against  a  rigorous 
cold,  prolonged  unusually  far  into  the  spring ;  so  that, 
though  they  had  more  comforts,  better  appliances,  and 
much  richer  fruits  of  experience,  than  the  crews  of  Sir 
Edward  Parry's  and  Sir  John  Ross's  ships,  they  were 
not  by  any  means  so  healthy.  During  the  winter  a 
great  many  white  foxes  were  taken  alive  in  traps,  and, 
iis  thoy  are  well  known  to  travel  great  distances  in 
search  of  food,  they  were  fitted  with  copper  collars, 
containing  engraved  notices  of  the  position  of  the  ships 
and  di'pots  of  provisions,  and  then  set  at  liberty,  in  the 
hope  that  they  would  be  caught  by  the  crews  of  the 
Erebus  and  the  Terror. 

In  April  and  the  earlj'  part  of  May  short  journeys 
"vere  made  to  deposit  small  stores  of  provisions  wew- 


SIR  J.  C.  ROSS'S  EXPEDITION. 


2H3 


ward  of  Cape  Clarence,  and  southward  of  Cape  Sep. 
pings.  On  the  15th  May  a  party  of  thirteen,  headed  by 
Sir  Janios  C.  Ross,  and  taking  with  them  forty  days' 
provision,  and  a  supply  of  clotiics,  blankets,  and  other 
necessaries,  on  two  Klodgos,  started  on  an  exploiatory 
journey  to  the  south.  They  were  accompanied  for  five 
(lays  by  a  fatigue  party  of  nearly  thirty,  under  Captain 
Bird.  Their  object  was  to  penetrate  as  far  as  possible 
in  the  direction  which  Sir  John  Franklin  was  instructed 
first  to  pursue,  and  to  make  a  close  scrutiny  of  every 
bay  and  inlet  in  which  any  ships  might  have  found 
shelter.  They  got  on  with  difficulty,  and  did  their  work 
with  much  toil,  yet  went  resolutely  forwaid. 

The  north  shore  of  North  Somerset  trends  slightly  to 
the  northward  of  west,  till  it  attains  its  highest  latitude, 
ihe  highest  latitude  of  continental  America,  a  few  miles 
beyond  Cape  Rennell ;  it  thence  trends  slightly  to  the 
southward  of  west  till  it  rounds  Cape  Bunny ;  and  then 
it  suddenly  assumes  a  direction  nearly  due  south.  From 
high  land  adjacent  to  Cape  Bunny  they  obtained  a  very 
extensive  view,  and  observed  that  all  Wellington  Chan- 
nel on  the  north,  and  all  the  space  between  Capo  Bunny 
and  Cape  Walker  on  the  west,  were  occupied  by  very 
heavy  hummocky  ice ;  but  that  the  frozen  expanse  south- 
ward, along  the  west  flank  of  North  Somerset,  was 
smoother.  They  proceeded  to  the  south,  tracing  all  the 
indentations  of  the  coast,  and  heroically  enduring  great 
exposure  and  fatigue,  but  not  without  the  pain  and 
delay  of  several  of  their  number  becoming  useless  from 
lameness  and  debility.  They  stopped  on  the  5th  of  June 
They  were  then  too  weak  to  go  further,  and  had  con- 
rimed  more  than  half  of  their  provisions  ;  and  they 
encamped  for  a  day's  rest,  preparatory  to  tlieir  return. 

Their  brave  leader  and  two  of  the  men,   however, 
went  onward  to  a  vantago-ground  about  eight  or  nin« 


i 


284 


81B  J.  C.  ROSS'S  EXPEDITION. 


\--ii 


!  -if 


<"  , 


1 


miles  distant.  This  extreme  point  of  the  journey  is  the 
western  extremity  of  a  small  high  peninsula,  situated  in 
latitude  12°  38'  north,  and  longitude  95°  40'  west.  The 
atmosphere  at  the  time  was  peculiarly  clear,  and  would 
have  carried  the  eye  to  land  of  any  groat  elevation  at 
the  distance  of  one  hundred  miles.  But  the  most  dis- 
tant visible  cape  in  the  direction  toward  Boothia  and 
Victoria  Land  was  not  further  off  than  fifty  miles,  and 
lay  nearly  due  south.  Several  small  bays  and  inlets 
intervened,  and  though,  perhaps,  not  forming  a  contin- 
uous sweep  of  the  sea,  they  prove  Prince  Regent's  Inlet 
at  Cresswell  and  Brentford  Bays  to  be  separated  from 
the  western  ocean  by  a  very  narrow  isthmus  —  a  dis- 
tinct natural  boundary  between  North  Somerset  and 
Boothia. 

The  party  resting  at  the  encampment  were  not  idle. 
Lieut.  McClintock,  who  headed  them,  took  some  mag- 
netic observations,  which  had  great  value,  on  account 
of  the  near  vicinity  of  the  place  to  the  magnetic  pole. 
Two  of  the  men  pierced  the  ice,  and  found  it  to  be 
eight  feet  thick,  and  set  in  a  stick  for  ascertaining  the 
state  of  the  tides  ;  and  all  the  others  who  could  work 
erected  a  large  cairn,  into  which  was  put  a  copper 
cylinder,  containing  all  requisite  information  for  the 
guidance  of  any  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  company  who 
might  journey  along  that  coast.  The  time  for  expecting 
those  missing  ones  there  that  season,  on  the  supposition 
of  their  having  abandoned  their  ships  in  the  vicinity  of 
Melville  Island,  had  almost  or  altogether  passed.  The 
thaw  had  commenced,  the  suitable  conditions  for  travel- 
ling were  over,  and  the  present  explorers  had,  at  least, 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  no  wanderers  from  the 
Erebus  and  the  Terror  then  lay  unheeded  or  perishing 
on  the  coast  of  North  Somerset. 

The  explorers  began  their  return  journey  on  the  6tb 


SIR  J.  C.  ROSS'S  EXPEDITION. 


Zfih 


June  They  forced  their  way  through  various  diflS- 
cultics,  and  arrived  at  the  ships  on  the  23d.  They 
were  80  worn  and  injured,  that  every  man  of  them,  from 
some  cause  or  other,  wont  into  the  doctor's  hands  foi 
two  or  three  weeks.  One  of  the  assistant  surgeons 
too,  had  died  ;  several  men  of  both  crews  were  severelj 
ailing ;  and  the  general  health  was  far  from  good. 

During  the  absence  of  the  large  exploring  party  in 
North  Somerset,  three  small  ones  were  despatched  by 
Captain  Bird  in  other  directions.  One,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieut.  Barnard,  went  to  the  north  shore  of 
Barrow's  Strait ;  another,  under  the  command  of  Lieut 
Browne,  went  to  the  east  shore  of  Prince  Regent's 
Inlet ;  and  the  third,  under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Rob- 
inson, went  to  the  west  shore  of  that  ndet  These 
parties  were  comparatively  a  short  time  away ;  yet 
all  —  especially  tlio  last,  who  penetrated  several  miles 
beyond  Fury  Beach  —  suflered  from  suow-blindnesa, 
sprained  ankles,  and  debility. 

Preparations  were  now  made  for  leaving  Port  Leo- 
pold. The  season  -was  far  advanced,  and  a  strong 
desire  was  felt  to  have  the  ships  as  soon  as  possible  si  t 
free,  in  order  to  push  them  on  toward  the  west.  But 
something  further  was  first  done  to  extend  the  appli- 
ances of  the  place  as  a  refuge  for  the  missing  adven- 
turers. A  house  was  built  of  the  spare  spars  of  the 
ships,  and  covered  with  such  of  the  housing-cloths  as 
could  be  wanted.  The  depot  of  provisions  and  fuel 
was  raised  to  a  sufficient  quantity  to  serve  for  a 
twelvemonth.  And  the  Investigator's  steani-laancb 
was  lengthened  seven  feet,  and  made  a  fine  vessel, 
capable  of  conveying  the  whole  of  Sir  John  Franklin's 
party  to  the  wlndcj-ships. 

The  crews  were  ill  able  to  work  the  ships  o^t  of  the 
oarbor,  and  to  set  them  once  more  before  the  breeze  • 


,  Ik 
,r"i 


286 


SIR  J.    C.   ROSS'S  EXPilDITION. 


u 


but  thoy  wont  with  a  will  to  the  tawk.  The  season  wa< 
fur  advanced,  and  exceedingly  unpromising,  and  seemed 
clearly  to  demand  the  utmost  promptitude  and  strenu- 
ousness  of  exertion.  At  a  time  when  most  other  nav> 
gable  parts  of  the  Arctic  seas  were  open,  Port  Leopold 
continued  as  close  as  in  the  middle  of  winter.  Not  a 
foot  of  water  waa  to  be  seen  on  the  surface  of  the  sur- 
rounding ice,  except  only  along  the  line  of  gravel  about 
the  harbor's  mouth  ;  aud  small  prospect  existed  that 
any  natural  opening  would  occur.  The  crews  were 
obliged  to  cut  a  way  out  with  saws.  All  hands  that 
were  at  all  able  went  to  work,  and  made  a  canal  two 
niMes  in  length,  and  suflBciently  wide  to  let  the  ships 
pass  outward  to  the  adjacent  sound.  They  did  not 
complete  this  till  the  15th  of  August,  and  then  had  the 
mortiflcation  to  see  that  the  ice  to  seaward  remained,  to 
all  appearance,  as  firndy  fixed  as  in  the  winter.  But  it 
was  wasting  away  along  the  shores,  and  it  soon  broke 
up,  and  gave  promise  of  a  navigable  channel.  The 
ships  got  out  of  the  harbor  on  the  28th  of  August, 
exactly  one  fortnight  less  than  a  twelvemonth  from  the 
time  when  they  entered  it. 

They  proceeded  toward  the  north  shore  of  Barrow's 
Strait,  with  the  view  of  making  further  examination  of 
Wellington  Channel,  and  of  scrutinizing  the  coasts  and 
inlets  westward  to  Melville  Island.  But  they  were 
arrested  about  twelve  miles  from  the  shore  by  fixed 
land-ice,  which  had  remained  unbroken  since  the  pre- 
vious season,  and  which  appeared  to  extend  away  to 
the  western  horizon  in  a  uniform  heavy  sheet.  They 
were  in  a  loose  pack,  struggling  with  blocks  and  streams 
as  they  best  could,  and  they  kept  hovering  about  the 
spot  which  afforded  the  greatest  probability  of  an  open- 
ing. But,  on  the  1st  of  Septeml>er,  the  loose  pack  waa 
•uddenly  put  in  commotion  by  a  strong  wind,  and  it 


i^^^^H 

r  1 


1    ■  «     *  1  ! 
'  1 

t    1 

n 

1 

SIR  J.   C.   ROSS'S  EXPEDITION. 


289 


camo  down  upon  thorn  and  beset  them.  During  two  ot 
three  days  the  heavy  masses  at  times  severely  squeezed 
them,  and  rideos  of  hummoclis  wore  thrown  up  all 
»round  them,  and  then  the  temperature  fell  nearly  to 
zero,  and  congealed  the  whole  body  of  ice  into  a  solid 
mass.  The  crow  of  the  Enterprise  were  unable,  for 
some  days,  to  unship  the  rudder,  and  when  at  last  they 
released  it,  by  means  of  the  laborious  operation  of  saw- 
ing  away  the  hummocks  which  clove  to  the  stern,  they 
found  it  twisted  and  damaged  ;  and,  at  the  same 'time, 
the  ship  was  so  much  strained  as  to  increase  the  leakage 
from  three  inches  iu  a  fortnight  to  fourteen  inches  in 
day. 

The  ice  now  remained  for  some  days  stationary.  The 
lighter  pieces  had  been  so  interlaced  and  imbricated  by 
pressure,  as  to  form  one  entire  sheet  across  the  whole 
width  of  Barrow's  Strait,  and  away  eastward  and  west- 
ward  to  the  horizon  ;  and  all  the  blocks  mid  strata  below 
them  were  so  firmly  cemented  by  the  extreme  severity 
of  the  temperature  as  to  seem  little  likely  to  break  up 
again  that  season.  The  ships  appeared  fixed  for  the 
winter  ;  and  who  could  tell  whether  thoy  niight  not  be 
exposed  to  a  series  of  as  terrific  perils  as  those  which 
so  often  menaced  the  Terror  with  destruction  in  her 
awful  ice-voyage  of  1836  ? 

On  the  wind  shifting  to  the  west,  the  crews,  with  a 
mixture  of  hope  and  anxiety,  beheld  the  whole  body 
of  ice  beginning  to  drive  to  the  eastward,  at  the  rate 
of  eight  or  ten  miles  a  day.  Tiiey  made  all  possible 
efforts  to  help  themselves,  but  made  them  in  vain,  for 
no  human  power  could  have  moved  either  of  tlie  ships  a 
single  inch.  The  field  of  ice  wliich  held  them  fast  in 
its  centre  was  more  than  fifty  miles  in  circumference. 
It  carried  them  along  the  south  shore  of  Lancaster 
Sound,  and  then  went  down  the  west  side  of  Baffin's 

IS 


290 


Biu  J.  c.  iioss's  i;xi'i:DnioN. 


ppi 

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1 

Bay,  till  they  wcro  abreast  of  Pond's  Bay,  and  there  ii 

tliroatoiKMl  to  prc<'i|)il!ito  thorn  on  a  barrier  of  icebergs. 
But,  just  in  till!  very  criniH  of  their  alarm,  it  wan  rent, 
as  if  by  some  unseen  power,  into  innumerable  fragments, 
and  they  were  set  ahnost  miraeuhjuwly  free. 

The  crews  sprang?  from  des[)air  to  hope,  aiul  from 
inaction  to  enerj;y.  All  sail  was  set,  and  warjjs  weie 
run  out  from  eaeh  (juarter  to  work  the  ships  past  the 
heavy  floes.  The  Investigator  got  into  open  water  on 
the  2lth,  and  the  Enterprise  on  the  iiSth.  "  It  is  impo.s- 
Bible,"  says  Ross,  "to  convey  any  idea  of  the  sensation 
we  experieuced  when  wc  louml  ourselves  once  more  at 
liberty  ;  many  a  heart  poured  forth  its  praises  and 
thankagtvings  to  Almighty  God  for  this  unlooked  for 
deliverance."  The  harbors  of  Ballin's  Bay  were  now 
all  closed  by  ice,  and  the  coyrse  to  the  west  was  barred 
by  the  pack  from  which  the  ships  had  just  been  liberated. 
The  expedition,  therefore,  had  no  alternative  but  to 
return  to  England,  and  they  arrived  ofl"  Scarborough  on 
the  3d  of  November,  1849.  Thus  ended  the  third  of 
the  government  explorations  in  search  of  Sir  John 
Franklin. 

Lieuteiumt  Pullen,  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  was 
despatched  from  the  Plover  on  tlic  western  coast,  and 
ordered  to  extend  his  search  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mac 
kenzie,  ascended  that  river  and  reached  Fort  Simpson 
on  the  13th  of  October.  Here  ho  wintered,  and,  while 
on  his  way  to  York  Factory,  the  following  spring,  re- 
ceived instructions  by  express  to  attempt  a  passage  in 
boats  across  the  sea  to  Melville  Island.  He  immedialeiy 
hurried  back,  and,  on  being  supplied  with  four  thou  ,iti  ] 
five  hundred  pounds  of  peinmican  and  jerked  venison 
by  Rao,  descended  the  Mackenzie.  The  season  of  1850 
proved  more  severe,  however,  than  that  of  the  previous 
year.     Pullen   found    the   sea,  from  the  Mackenzie  to 


9\n  .1.  C.   ROSS'S  EXPEDITin.V 


801 


(npo  n«thurBt,  covered  with  ni.hrokon  ire.  n  flinnl)  rlinn. 
nel  only  exJHting  in-shore,  fl.rotiffh  which  ho  thnvulod 
his  way  to  the  vicinity  of  the  cupe.  Failing  jn  finding 
H  paNHiigo  (Mit  to  Bcn  to  the  n<.rth  of  Cape  U.itlmist,  lio 
f<'rn«im-d  in  its  vicinity,  watching  the  ice  f..r  an  open, 
tug.  until  the  approach  of  winter  compelled  him  to 
retnrn  to  the  Mackenzie.  He  had  n-ached  the  sea  on 
the  '2'2i\  of  July,  and  ho  did  not  qnit  it  til!  the  iHt  of 
Septen.her.  An  ho  ascended  the  Mackenzie,  ice  wai 
driving  rapidly  down.  "  It  was  one  continned  drill  of 
ice  and  heavy  finow-Htorms." "  Ho  reached  Fort  Simi- 
flon  on  the  5th  of  October,  and  arrived  in  England  tu 
take  command  of  the  North  Star,  and  join  the  expedition 
under  Sir  E.  Belcher. 


CllAPTEil    XUI. 


-mi 


3PIN.ON8  IS  REGARD  TO  THE  FATE  OF  FUAHKLIN.  — CLIMATK.  —  IIESCCKCXI 

OF     OAME. —  RF.WAIIDS      OFFEIIEL'. —  REl'OUTS     FROM     WHALERS. Rg. 

NKWED  EKARCHES.— COLUNSON  AND  m'cLURE.  —  RAE's  INSTRnCTlONS. 
—  OTUER  EXPEDITIONS,  PDULIC  AND  PRIVATE.  —  GRINNELl'g  EXPEDI- 
HON.  —  MEETING  IN  THE  ARCTIC  SEAS.— TRACES  OP  FRANKLIN.— 
GRAVES.  —  SLEDGING    PARTIES.  —  RETURN    no::E. 

It  was  the  opinion  of  Sir  John  Richardson,  Iho  former 
companion  of  Franklin,  that  his  plans  were  to  shape  his 
course,  in  the  first  instance,  for  the  neighborhood  of 
Cape  Walker,  and  to  push  to  the  westward  in  that 
parallel ;  or,  if  that  could  not  be  accomplished,  to  make 
his  way  southwards,  to  the  channel  discovered  on  the 
north  coast  of  the  continent,  and  so  on  to  Behring'g 
Strait ;  failing  success  in  that  quarter,  he  meant  to 
retrace  his  course  to  Wellington  Sound,  and  attempt  a 
passage  northwards  of  Parry's  Islands ;  and  if  foiled 
there  also,  to  descend  Regent's  Inlet,  and  seek  the 
passage  along  the  coast  discovered  by  Messrs.  Dease 
a.nd  Simpson 

Daptain  Fitzjamcs,  the  second  in  command  under  Sir 
John  Franklin,  was  much  incline'd  to  try  the  passage 
northward  of  Parry's  Islands ;  and  ho  would,  no  doubt, 
endeavor  to  persuade  Sir  John  to  pursue  this  course,  if 
they  failed  to  the  southward.  In  a  private  letter  to 
Sir  John  Barrow,  dated  January,  18-15,  Fitzjamcs  writes: 
"  It  does  not  appear  clear  to  me  what  led  Parry  down 
Prince  Regent  Inlet,  after  having  got  as  far  as  VIelville 
Island  before.     The  north-west  passage  is  certainly  to 


FATE  OF  FRANKLIN, 


293 


be  gone  through  by  Barrow's  Strait,  but  whether  south 
01  north  of  Parry's  Group,  remains  to  be  proved.  I  am 
for  going  north,  edging  north-west  till  in  longitude  140°, 
if  possible." 

Captain  Sir  John  Ross  records,  in  February,  184T,  his 
opinion  that  the  expedition  was  frozen  up  beyond  Mel- 
ville Island,  from  the  known  intentions  of  Sir  John 
Franklin  to  put  his  ships  into  the  drift-ice  at  the  western 
end  of  Melville  Island  ;  a  risk  which  was  deemed  in  the 
highest  degree  imprudent  by  Lieutenant  Parry  luid  the 
officers  of  the  expedition  of  1819-20,  with  ships  of  a  less 
draught  of  water,  and  in  every  respect  better  calculated 
to  sustain  the  pressure  of  the  ice,  and  other  dangers  to 
which  they  must  be  exposed.  The  expedition  certainly 
did  not  succeed  in  passing  Behring's  Strait ;  and,  if  not 
totally  lost,  must  have  been  carried  by  the  drift-ice  to 
the  southward,  on  land  seen  at  a  great  distance  in  that 
direction,  from  which  the  accumulation  of  ice  behind 
them  would,  as  in  Ross's  own  case,  forever  prevent  the 
return  of  the  ships.  When  we  remember  with  what 
extieme  difficulty  Ross's  party  travelled  three  hundred 
miles  overmuch  smoother  ice  after  they  abandoned  their 
vessel,  it  appears  very  doubtful  a\  hether  Franklin  and 
his  men,  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  in  number,  could 
poBsibly  travel  six  hundred  miles. 

In  the  contingency  of  the  ships  having  penetrated 
eome  considerable  distance  to  the  south-west  of  Cape 
Walker,  and  having  been  hampered  and  crushed  in  the 
narrow  channels  of  the  archipelago,  which  there  are 
reasons  for  belie  ing  occupies  the  space  between  Victo- 
ria, Wollaston,  and  Banks's  Lands,  it  is  remarked  by 
Sir  John  Richardson,  that  such  accidents  among  ice  are 
seldom  so  sudden  but  that  the  boats  of  one  or  of  both 
slii|)s,  with  provisions,  can  bo  saved  ;  and,  in  such  an 
event,  the  survivors  would  either  return  to  Lancastei 


294 


FATE  OF  FRANKLIN. 


Strait,  or  make  for  the  continent,  according  to  theh 
nearness. 

Colonel  Sabine  remarks,  in  a  letter  dated  Woolwich, 
5th  of  May,  1847  :  "  It  was  Sir  John  Franklin's  inten- 
tion, if  foiled  at  one  point,  to  try,  in  succession,  all  the 
probable  openings  intt)  a  more  navigable  part  of  the 
Polar  Sea.  The  range  of  coast  is  considerable  in  which 
memorials  of  the  ships'  progress  would  have  to  be 
sought  for,  extending  from  Melville  Island,  in  the  west, 
to  the  great  sound  at  the  head  of  Baffin's  Bay,  in  the 
east."' 

Admiral  Sir  Francis  Beaufort,  in  his  report  to  the  Lords 
Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty,  Nov.  24,  1849,  ob- 
serves :  "  There  are  four  ways  only  in  which  it  is  likely 
that  the  Erebus  and  Terror  would  have  been  lost  —  by 
fire,  by  sunken  rocks,  by  storm,  or  by  being  crushed  be- 
tween two  fields  of  ice.  Both  vessels  would  scarcely  have 
taken  fire  together  ;  if  one  of  them  had  struck  on  a  rock, 
the  other  would  have  avoided  the  danger.  Storms  in 
those  narrow  seas,  encumbered  with  ice,  raise  no  swell, 
and  could  produce  no  such  disaster:  and,  therefore, by 
the  fourth  cause  .ilone  could  the  two  v(>ssels  have  been 
at  once  destroyed  ;  and,  even  in  that  case,  the  crows 
would  have  escaped  upon  the  ice  —  as  happens  every 
year  to  the  whalers;  —  they  would  have  saved  their 
loose  boats,  and  reached  some  part  of  the  American 
shores.  As  no  traces  of  any  such  event  have  been 
found  on  any  part  of  those  shores,  it  may,  therefore,  be 
safely  afiirmed  that  one  ship,  at  least,  and  both  the 
crews,  are  still  in  existence  ;  and,  therefore,  the  point 
where  they  now  are  is  the  great  matter  for  consid- 
eration, 

"  Their  orders  would  have  carried  them  towards  Mel- 
ville Island,  and  then  out  to  the  westward,  where  it  is 
therefore    probable   that   they   are   entangled    amongst 


FATE   OF  FRANKLIN. 


295 


islands  and  fee.  For,  should  thoy  have  boon  arrested 
at  some  intcrmedialo  place,  —  for  instance,  Capo  Walker, 
or  at  one  of  the  northern  chain  of  islands,  —  tliey  would, 
undoubtedly,  in  the  course  of  the  three  following  years! 
liave  contrived  some  method  of  sendirig  notices  of 
tlieir  position  to  the  shores  of  North  Somerset  or  to 
Barrow's  Strait. 

"  If  they  had  reached  much  to  the  southward  of 
Hanks's  Land,  they  would  surely  have  communicated  with 
the  tribes  on  Mackenzie  River  ;  and  if,  failing  to  get  to  the 
westward  or  southward,  they  had  returned  with  the 
intention  of  penetrating  through  Wellington  Channel, 
they  would  have  detached  parties  on  the  ice  towards 
Harrow's  Strait,  in  order  to  have  deposited  statements 
of  their  intentions.  The  general  conclusion,  therefore 
remains  that  they  are  still  locked  up  in  the  archipelago 
to  the  westward  of  Melville  IslanV" 

Captain  Sir  George  Back,  in  a  letter  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Admiralty,  December  Ist,  1849,  says  :  "  You 
will  be  pleased,  sir,  to  impress  on  my  Lords  Commis- 
sioners that  I  wholly  reject  all  and  every  idea  of  any 
attempts  on  the  part  of  Sir  John  Franklin  to  send  boats 
or  detachments  over  the  ice  to  any  point  of  the  mainland' 
eastward  of  the  Mackenzie  River,  because  I  can  say, 
from  e.xp(M-ienco,  that  no  toil-worn  and  exhausted  party 
could  have  the  least  chance  of  existence  by  going 
there.  On  the  other  hand,  from  my  knowledge  of  Sir 
John  Franklin,  — having  been  three  times  on  discovery 
together,  — I  much  doubt  if  he  would  quit  his  ship  at 
all,  except  in  a  boat  ;  for  any  attempt  to  cross  the  ico 
a  long  distance  on  foot  would  be  tempting  death  ;  and 
It  is  too  laborious  a  task  to  sledge  far  over  such  an 
uneven  surface  as  those  regions  generally  present.  That 
great  mortality  must  have  occurred,  and  that  one  ship 
may  be  lost,  are  greally  to  he  fcan.,!  ;  and,   as   on  all 


296 


FATE  OF   FRANKLIN. 


former  oxpetlitiona,  if  the  survivors  arc  paralyzed  hy 
the  doprcssing  attacks  of  scurvy,  it  would  then  ho 
impossihle  for  them,  however  desirous  they  might  be,  to 
leave  the  ship,  which  must  thus  become  their  last  most 
anxious  abode. 

"  If,  however,  open  water  should  have  allowed  Sir 
John  Franklin  to  have  resorted  to  his  boats,  then  I  am 
persuaded  he  would  make  for  either  the  Mackenzie 
River,  or,  which  is  iiir  more  likely,  from  the  almost  cer- 
tainty he  must  have  felt  of  finding  provision,  Cape 
Clarence  and  Fury  Point.  I  am  aware  that  the  whole 
chances  of  life,  in  this  painful  case,  depend  on  food  ;  but 
when  I  reflect  on  Sir  John  Franklin's  former  extraor- 
dinary preservation  under  miseries  and  trials  of  the  most 
severe  description,  living  often  on  scraps  of  old  leather 
and  other  refuse,  I  cannot  despair  of  his  finding  the 
means  to  prolong  existence  till  aid  be  happily  sent 
him." 

In  regard  to  the  advantages  of  an  exploration  by  the 
way  of  Behring's  Strait,  Sir  John  Eichanlson  writes  : 

"  The  climate  of  Arctic  America  improves  in  a  sensi- 
ble manner  with  an  increase  of  western  longitude. 
On  the  Mackenzie,  on  the  135th  meridian,  the  sum- 
mer is  wanner  than  in  any  district  of  the  continent 
in  the  same  parallel  ;  and  it  is  still  finer,  and  the 
vegetation  more  luxuriant,  on  the  banks  of  the  Yucon, 
on  the  150th  meridian.  This  superiority  of  climate 
leads  mo  to  infer  that  ships  well  fortified  against  drift- 
ice  will  find  the  navigation  of  the  Arctic  seas  more 
practicable  in  its  western  portion  than  it  has  been  found 
to  the  eastward.  This  inference  is  supported  by  my 
own  personal  experience,  as  far  as  it  goes.  1  met  with 
no  ice  in  the  month  of  August,  on  my  late  voyage,  till  I 
attained  the  123d  meridian,  and  which  1  was  led,  fronj 


FATE  OF  FRANKLIN. 


291 


ihat  circumstance,  to  suppose  coinci  Jed  with  the  west- 

ern  hrnits  of  Parry's  Archipelago. 

"The  greater  facility  of  navigating  from  the  west  has 

been  powerfully  advocated  by  others  on  former  ocea 
sions ;  and  the  chief,  perhaps  the  only  reason  why  the 
attempt  to  penetrate  the  Polar  Sea  from  that  quarter 
has  not  been  resumed  since  the  time  of  Cook  is,  that 
the  length  of  the  previous  voyage  to  Behring's  Strait 
would  considerably  diminish  the  store  of  provisions  • 
but  the  facilities  of  obtaining  supplies  in  the  Pacific  are 
now  so  augmented,  that  this  objection  has  no  longer  the 
same  force." 

It  was  urged  that,  though  the  crews  of  the  Erebus 
and  the  Terror  had  provisions  with  them  for  only  three 
years,  they  could  make  these  serve,  by  reduced  allow- 
ance, for  a  somewhat  longer  period,  and  would  in  all 
probabdity  obtain  large  additions  to  them  by  means  of 
their  guns.  The  Arctic  regio.is,  far  from  being  so  des- 
titute  of  ammal  life  as  might  be  supposed  from  the  bleak 
and  inhospitable  cliaracter  of  the  climate,  are  proverbial 
lor  the  boundless  profusion  of  various  species  of  the 
animal  kingdom,  which  are  to  be  met  with  in  different 
l-'ahties  during  a  great  part  of  the  year. 

The  air  is  often  darkened  by  innumerable  flocks  of 
Arctic  and  blue  gulls,  the  ivory  gull,  or  snow-bird,  the 
kitt,wak,>,  the  fulmar  petrel,  snow-geese,  terns,  coons, 
dovekics,  &c.  The  cetaceous  animals  comprise  the 
groat  Greerdand  whale,  the  sea-unicorn,  or  narwhal 
the  white  whale,  or  beluga,  the  morse,  or  walrus,  and 
the  seal.  There  are  also  plenty  of  porpoises  occasion- 
ally  to  be  met  with  ;  ami,  although  these  animals  may 
not  be  tl.e  best  of  food,  yet  they  can  be  eaten.  Of  the 
land  animals,  we  may  instance  the  polar  bear,  the  musk- 
ox,  the  reindeer,  the  Arctic  fox,  and  wolves. 

Parry  obtained  nearly  four  thousand  pounds'  weight 


298 


FATE  OF  FRANKLIN. 


of  animal  foot!  during  his  winter  resilience  at  Melville 
Island  ;  Ross  nearly  the  same  quantity  from  buds  alone, 
when  wintering  at  Port  Leopold. 

Sir  John  lliciiardson,  speaking  of  the  amount  of  food 
to  bo  obtained  in  the  polar  region,  says  :  "  Deer  migrate 
over  the  ice  in  the  spring  from  the  main  shore  to  Vic- 
toria and  \\''ollaaton  Lands  in  large  herds,  and  return 
in  the  autumn.  These  lands  are  also  the  orceding- 
places  of  vast  llocks  of  snow-geese  ;  so  that,  with  ordi- 
nary skill  in  hunting,  a  large  supply  of  food  might  be 
procured  on  their  shores,  in  the  months  of  June, 
July,  and  August.  Seals  are  also  numerous  in  those 
eeas,  and  are  easily  shot,  their  curiosity  rendeiing  them 
a  ready  prey  to  a  boat-party."  L»  these  ways,  and  by 
tishing,  the  stock  of  provisions  might  be  greatly  aug. 
mented  ;  and  we  have  the  recent  example  of  Mr.  Rae, 
who  passed  a  severe  winter  on  the  very  barren  shores 
of  Repulse  Hay,  with  no  other  fuel  than  the  withered 
tufts  of  a  herbaceous  andromada,  and  maintained  a 
numerous  party  on  the  spoils  of  the  chase  alone  for  a 
whole  year. 

With  an  empty  stomach  the  power  of  resisting  exter- 
nal cold  is  greatly  impaired  ;  but  when  the  process  of 
digestion  is  going  on  vigorously,  even  with  compara- 
tively scanty  clothing,  the  heat  of  the  body  is  preserved. 
There  is,  in  the  winter  time,  in  high  latitudes,  a  craving 
for  fat  or  oleaginous  food  ;  and  for  such  occasions  the 
tlesh  of  seals,  walruses,  or  bears,  forms  a  useful  article 
of  diet.  Captain  Cook  says  that  the  walrus  is  a  sweet 
and  wholesome  article  of  food.  Whales  and  seals  would 
also  furnish  light  and  fuel.  The  necessity  for  increased 
food  in  very  cold  weather  is  not  so  great  when  the 
people  do  not  work. 

Li  March,  1818,  the  British  Admiralty  announced 
their  intention  of  rewarding  the  crews  of  any  w.ialing- 


RKWARDS  OFFERED. 


299 


ships  that  brodgnt  accurate  information  of  the  miseing 
expedition,  with  tlie  sum  of  one  hundred  guineae  or 
niore  according  to  circumstances.  Lady  Franklin,  also, 
o'.,uut  the  same  time  oflered  rewards  of  two  thousand 
and  three  thousand  pounds,  to  be  distributed  among  the 
owner,  officers,  and  crew,  discovering  and  aflbrding 
relief  to  her  husband,  or  making  extraordinary  exertions 
for  the  above  object,  and,  if  required,  bringing  Sir  John 
Franklin  and  his  party  to  England. 

On  the  23d  of  March,  1849,  the  British  government 
oflered  a  reward  of  twenty  thousand  pounds  "to  such 
private  ship,  or  by  distribution  among  such  private 
ships,  or  to  any  exploring  party  or  parties,  of  any  coun- 
try,  as  might,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Board  of  Admiralty, 
have  rendered  eflicient  assistance  to  Sir  John  Franklin' 
his  ships,  or  their  crews,  and  might  have  contributed 
directly  to  extricate  them  from  the  ice."  This,  also, 
was  meant  mainly  for  the  whalers,  but  was  not  pro- 
mulged  till  most  of  them  had  sailed,  and  had  no  adapta- 
tion  to  compensate  owners  and  masters  and  crews  pro- 
portionately to  their  losses  on  the  fishery,  and,  there- 
fore, did  not  produce  any  effect. 

In  the  spring  of  1849  Mr.  Parker,  master  of  the 
whaling-ship  Truelove,  carried  out  from  Lady  Franklin 
ft  supply  of  provisions  and  coals  for  the  possible  use  of 
the  missing  expedition,  and  landed  them  on  the  con- 
spicuous promontory  of  Cape  Hay,  on  the  south  side  of 
Lancaster  Sound. 

In  1849  Dr.  Goodsir,  brother  of  the  assistant  surgeon 
of  the  Erebus,  embarked  in  the  whaling-ship  Advice,  of 
Dundee,  on  her  annual  trip  to  Baffin's  Bay,  in  the  hope 
that  he  might  get  early  intelligence  of  the  missing  expe- 
dition. Mr.  William  Penny,  the  master  of  the  Advice, 
was  well  known  for  enterprise  and  energy,  and  had 
made  strenuous  efforts,  in  1834,  to  assist  Sir  John  Rose 


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300 


COLLINSON   AND  MCLURE. 


and  his  party,  and  now  folt  fon-itl  and  generons  zeal  to 
be  useful  in  tho  allair  of  Sir  Jolin  Franklin.  They  pro 
cooded  in  the  ordinary  manner  of  a  whaling  cruise,  yet 
ponotrated  into  Lancaster  Sound,  and  proposed  to  go  as 
far  as  Prince  Regent's  Inlet;  but  were  stopped,  on  the 
'1th  of  August,  by  a  linn,  compact  barrier,  extending 
'luite  across,  in  crescentic  outline,  from  Gape  York,  on 
the  south,  to  the  vicinity  of  Burnet's  Inlet,  on  the  north. 
They  were  only  seven  days  within  sight  of  the  shores  of 
Lancaster  Sound,  and  saw  'itiw  other  parts  of  them  than 
such  as  had  been  closely  scrutinized  by  the  Enterprise 
and  the  Investigator  ;  yet  they  searched  them  with  a  keen 
eye,  and  deposited  on  them  several  conspicuous  notices. 
The  demand  for  new  researches  now  became  pressing. 
Three  great  divisions  of  search  were  adopted.  These 
corresponded,  in  general  sphere  and  character,  to  the 
three  primary  searching  expeditions  of  1848.  One  was 
marine,  by  way  of  Ik'hring's  Strait ;  another  was  over- 
land, to  the  central  northern  coasts  ;  and  the  third  was 
marine,  by  way  of  Baiun's  Bay. 

The  ships  Enterprise  and  Investigator  were  refitted 
with  all  possible  speed,  to  go  round  South  America,  and 
up  to  Behring's  Strait.  Captain  Eichard  Collinson  was 
put  in  command  of  the  Enterprise,  and  Commander 
ArClurc,  who  had  served  as  first  lieutenant  of  the  Enter- 
prise in  the  recent  expedition  under  Sir  James  C.  Ross, 
was  put  in  command  of  the  Investigator.  The  ships 
were  provisioned  for  three  years,  and  supplied  with  bal- 
loons, blasting  appliances,  ice-saws,  and  many  other 
contrivancei-  for  aiding  their  movements  and  vesearch. 
Each,  also,  was  provided  with  a  pointed  piece  of  mech- 
anism, iibout  fourteen  pounds  in  weight,  attached  by  a 
tackle  to  the  end  of  the  bowsprit,  suited  to  be  worked 
from  the  deck,  and  capable,  by  means  of  a  series  of  sud- 
den falls,  to  break  ice  of  any  ordinary  thickness,  and 


Il 


rOLLlNSDN  AND  M-('i,i;m;. 


aoi 


open  a  piisaiif,'o  throtigli  a  Ooe  or  li(jlit  pack.  The  sliips, 
though  dull  KailtTs,  wore  tiio  only  ones  lit  for  the  ser- 
vice which  c;oiil(l  be  got  promptly  ready  ;  and,  in  order 
tn  expedite  their  pnjgress,  steamers  were  put  in  requisi- 
tion to  tow  them  in  more  than  one  part  of  their  voyage, 
and  particularly  through  the  Magellan  Strait,  the  Wel- 
lington Channel,  and  on  to  Valparaiso. 

They  sailed  from  riymouth  Sound  on  tlie  20th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1850.     The  captains  had  minute  orders  for  there 
guidance  on  the  way  to  Bohring's  Strait,  and  with  ref- 
erence to  the  previous  expeditions  of  the  Herald  and  the 
Plover ;   and  were  also  furnished  witli  memoranda,  sug- 
gestions, and  conditional  instructions,  for  their  aid  in  the 
polar  seas  ;    but,   with   the   exception   of  two  or  three 
general    conunands,    bearing   comprehensively   on   the 
grand  object  of  their  mission,  they  were   left  almost 
entirely  to  their  own  discretion,  after  they  should  enter 
the  ice.     They  were  told  to  reap  .all  the  advantage  they 
could  from  the  experience  of  the  Herald  and  the  Plover  ; 
to  form  a  depot,  or  point  of  succor,  for  any  party  to  fall 
back  upon  ;  to  retain  the  Plover,   and  get  her  replen- 
ished from  the  Herald,  and   send  her  a  wintering  and 
cruising  on  nearly  her  former  ground  till  the  autumn  of 
1853  ;    to  keep   the    Enterprise    and   the   Investigator 
steadily  in  each  other's  company,  and  onward  as  far  as 
safety  would  permit  to  the  east ;  to  cultivate  the  friend- 
ship  of  the  Esquimaux,  and   induce  them  to  carry  mes- 
fiages  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  settlements  ;  to 
throw  occasionally  overboard  tin   cylinders  containing 
information,  and  to  use  every  precaution  against  getting 
into  any  position  which  might  possibly  hold  them  fast 
till  their  provisions  should  become  exhausted. 

Both  ships  made  a  comparatively  speedy  passage  to 
Behring's  Strait.  On  the  29th  of  July  tlie  Enter.irise 
coached  the  western  end  of  the  Aleutian  Cliaiii  ;  on  the 


J02 


nAE'S  INSTRUCTIONS. 


1 1th  of  August  she  reached  the  island  of  St.  Lawrouce  ; 
mid  on  the  16th  of  August  fell  in  with  the  ice.     But  the 
weather  was  thou  so  unfavorable,  and  the  ice  so  thick, 
that  Captain  Collinson  abandoned  a  purpose  which  ho 
had  furniod  to  attempt  to  penetrate  that  season  to  Capo 
Bathurst.     After  several  Gncounters  with  the  ice,   ho 
reached  Grantlcy  Harbor,  and  there  found  the  Plover 
preparing  for  winter  quarters,  and  was  next  day  joined 
by  the  Herald.     On  consulting  with  Captains  Kellett 
and  Moore,  he  determined,  instead  of  wintering  in  tho 
north,  to  proceed  to  Ilong  Kong,  there  to  replenish  his 
provisions,  and  not  to  set  out  again  for  tho  north  till  at 
least  tho  first  of  April,   1851.     The  Investigator   was 
later  in  getting  through  tho  Pacific  than  the  Enterprise  ; 
and  Commander  Moore,  of  the  Plover,  writing  at  sea,  in 
latitude  51°  26'  north,  and  longitude  172"  35'  west,  on 
the  20th  of  July,  gave  a  sketch  of  his  intended  opera- 
tions, and  said   that   no  apprehension  need   be  enter- 
tained about  his  safety  till  the  autumn  of  1854,  as  he 
had  on  board  full  provisions  of  every  kind  for  three  years 
after  tho  first  of  September,  and  intended  to  issue,  in 
lieu  of  the  usual  rations,  whatever  food  could  be  obtained 
by  hunting  parties  from  tho  ship. 

Dr.  Rae,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  left  by  Sir  John 
Hichardsoii  to  attempt  to  overtake,  in  tho  summer  of 
1819,  an  unaccomplished  part  of  the  objects  of  the  over- 
land expedition  of  18-18.  This  had  special  reference  to 
tho  examination  of  the  coasts  of  Victoria  Land  and  Wol- 
laston.Land;  and  now  that  Sir  John  Franklin's  ships 
were  believed  to  have  certainly  gone  beyond  Capo 
Walker,  and  to  have  probably  bored  their  way  south- 
westward  to  some  position  between  that  place  and  the 
mainland,  this  was  deemed  to  be  much  more  imi)ortant 
ttian  before.  Eariy  in  1850  instructions  were  despatched 
to  Dr.  Rao,  by  Governor  Sir  George  Simpson,  of  thp 


AUSTIN'S  EXPEDITION. 


303 


IIudson'B  Bay  Company,  requiring  him,  in  the  ovoiit  of 
hfs  explorations  of  1819  having  boon  unsiiccoHHluI,  to 
organize  anotlior  expedition  for  the  aummer  of  1850. 
This  was  to  ponctrato  further,  to  range  more  widely, 
and  to  examine  the  coasts  of  Banks's  Island,  the  coasts 
around  Cape  Wallcor,  and  tiio  nortii  coast  of  Victoria 
Land.     Two  small  parties,  at  the  same  time,  were  to 
proceed  westward  on  tlie  mainland  in  the  direction  of 
Point  Barrow  ;  and  one  of  these  was  to  descend  the 
Mackenzie,   and  explore  the   coast  to  the  west  of  it, 
while  the  other  was  to  pass  on  to  the  Colville  River! 
and  to  descend  that  stream  to  the  sea  ;  and  both  were 
to  induce  the  natives,  by  rewards  and  othcmise,  to 
prosecute  the  search,  and  spread  intelligence  in  all  direc- 
tions.     Dr.  Kae  was  particularly  instructed  to  keep  an 
ample  supply  of  provisions,  clothing,  ammunition,  fish- 
ing-tackle, and  other  necessaries,  at  Fort  Good  Hope, 
as  that  seemed  an  eminently  probable  retreat  to  which 
parties  of  the  missing  o 'Venturers  might  try  to  force 
their  way.     But  in  most  other  matters,  and  especially 
in  all  the  details  of  the  expedition,  he  was  left  solely  to 
his  own  discretion. 

The  expedition  equipped  by  the  British  government 
for  renewed  search  by  way  of  BaHin's  Bay  and  Lancas- 
ter  Sound  comprised  two  strong  teak-built  ships,  — the 
Resolute  and  the  Assistance,  — and  two  powerful  screw- 
propelled  st<>am-vessel8  — the  Pioneer  and  the  Intrepid. 
These  ships  had  a  tonnage,  the  former  of  five  hundred, 
and  the  latter  of  four  hundred  and  thirty  tons,  and  were 
alike  strong,  commodious,  elegant,  and  admirably  ap. 
purtenanced.  The  steam-vessels  had  strength  and 
adaptation  not  only  for  towing  the  ships  in  open  chan- 
nels,  but  fur  conllicting  with  the  perils  of  the  polar  seas. 
And  forcing  a  passage  through  small  floes  and  thin 
packs  of  ice.     Captain  n.  T.  Austin  was  put  in  cora- 


u 


Ml- 


■i' 


301 


ROSS. -PENNY. 


niand  cf  the  RoHolutc,  Captuiii  E.  Oniniatipy  of  the 
AsHistanco,  and  Lieut.  Slicrarcl  Ortboriic  of  the  Pioneer. 
Multitudes  of  olllcers  nobly  vied  as  vohinteers  to  obtain 
the  subordinate  appointments ;  and  some  of  the  most 
oxperiencod  whalo-fishers  wcro  obtained  for  the  fore- 
castle. The  instructions  given  were  similar  in  scope 
and  spirit  to  those  of  the  Uehring's  Strait  expedition, 
and  did'ered  chiedy  in  adaptation  to  the  diflerent  route. 
Die  expedition  sailed  in  the  spring  of  1850. 

An  expedition  under  the  command  of  the  veteran  Sir 
John  Koss  was  equipped  by  a  public  subscription, 
toward  which  the  Hudson's  IJay  Company  contributed 
live  hundred  pounds.  This  consisted  of  a  schooner- 
rigged  vessel  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  tons  (which 
Sir  John  called  tiie  Felix,  ii,  honor  of  his  late  patriotic 
friend,  Sir  Felix  15ooth),  and  of  a  small  tender,  of  twelve 
tons,  called  tiio  Mary.  They  were  provisioned  for 
eighteen  months,  and  they  set  sail  in  the  latter  part  of 
April.  Sir  John  was  in  excellent  spirits,  as  full  of  fire 
and  daring  as  in  his  younger  years  ;  and  he  enlisted  in 
his  service  an  old  expert  Esquimaux  interpreter.  His 
plan  was  to  proceed  as  quickly  as  he  could  to  Barrow's 
Strait  to  commence  operations  at  Cape  Ilotham,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  entrance  of  Wellington  Chiinnel  ;  to 
examine  all  the  headlands  thence  to  Banks's  Land,  and 
then,  if  still  unsuccessful,  to  leave  the  IVLary  there  as  a 
vessel  of  retreat,  and  to  push  the  search  in  the  Felix 
alone  during  another  year. 

An  expedition  also  was  equipped  at  the  inst.ance  of 
the  devoted  Lady  Franklin,  wholly  by  her  own  zeal,  and 
mainly  at  her  own  expense.  This  was  put  under  the 
command  of  Mr.  Penny,  formerly  master  of  the  Advice 
whale-ship,  and  consisted  of  a  fine  ship  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  tons,  calhul  The  Lady  Franklin,  and  a  new 
clipper-brig  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  tons,  named  the 


FonsvTirs  expedition 


305 


Sophia  Tho  lurgor  vchbcI  waH  fitted  up  at  Aberdeen, 
Biid  the  Bmullcr  one  at  Diuidco  -—  both  with  great  celer- 
ity, and  ill  a  Htylo  of  tlio  bent  poHsiblo  adaptation  to  ar* 
Arctic  voyago  ;  and  they  also  Bailed  in  the  Hprinp:  «' 
1850.  Their  proposed  plan  of  procedure  was  Hoinewhat 
coincident  with  that  of  the  government  expedition  ;  yet 
entirely  indepcndei.t,  except  in  the  way  of  coiiperatioi- 
or  mutual  aid,  and  liable  to  bo  much  controlled  or  mod 
ified  by  circumstances. 

Another  expedition,  supplementary  to  the  preceding, 
was  equipped  at  tho  instance  of  Lady  Franklin.     She 
herself  defrayed  about  two  thirds  of  the  cost  of  it,  by 
means  of  selling  out  of  the  funds  ail  the  money  which 
she  could  legally  tjuch;  and  her  friends  defrayed  the 
rest.      The    ordv    vessel    was    tho    Prince    Albert,    a 
schooner-rigged  craft  of  ninety  tons,  but  as  fine  a  littk 
structure  as  ever  "  walked  the  waters,"  and  strength 
ened  and  fitted  in  tho  most  artistic  way  for  bufleting 
tho  perils  of  the  Arctic  seas.     She  was  commanded  by 
Commander  Charles  C.  Forsyth,  of  tho  Royal  Navy  ;  and 
was  served  in  a  variety  of  capacities,  most  laboriously 
and  dexterously,  by  Mr.  W.  P.  Snow,  -both  volunteers, 
who  washed  no  compensation  but  the  honor  of  the  en- 
terprise.    The   object  was  to  examine  tho   shores  of 
Prince  Regent's  Inlet  and  the  Gulf  of  Boothia,  and  to 
send  out  travelling  parties  to  explore  tho  west  side  of 
the   land   of  Boothia   down   to    Deaso  and   Simpson's 
Strait.     At  the  time  when  Sir  John  Franklin  sailed,  a 
belief  was  general  that  Boothia  was  an  island,  and  that 
Prince  Regent's  Inlet  communicated  with  the  Polar  Sea 
through  Deaso  and  Simpson's  Strait;  so  that,  in  the 
event  of  his  being  baffled  in  finding  a  north-west  pas- 
sage by  way  of  Capo  Walker,  or  up  Wellington  Chan- 
nel,  he  would  very  probably  enter  Prince  Regent's  Inlet, 
vvith  the  view  of  passing  round  tho  south  of  Boothia 

20 


306 


DE  HAVEN.— NORTH  STAR. 


rience  the  present  expedition.     The  Prince  Albert  sailed 
from  Aberdeen  on  the  5th  of  June. 

An  expedition  also  was  equipped  in  America.  This 
was  got  up  mainly  by  the  exertions  and  at  the  cost  of 
Henry  Grinncll,  Esq.,  a  merchant  of  New  York,  but 
was  put  in  order  and  sent  forth  by  the  United  States 
Navy  department.  It  consisted  of  two  vessels,  the 
Advance  and  the  Rescue,  of  respectively  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  and  ninety-five  tons  ;  and  was  put  under 
the  command  of  Lieut.  De  Haven,  who  had  served  in 
the  United  States  Exploring  Expedition,  under  Commo 
dore  Wilkes,  in  the  Antarctic  seas.  It  sailed  from  New 
York  on  the  24th  of  May,  and  was  accompanied  for  two 
days  in  his  yacht  by  Mr.  Grinnell.  Its  object  was  to 
push  promptly  forward,  in  any  way  it  could,  in  the  di- 
rection of  Melville  Island  and  Banks's  Land ;  to  winter 
wherever  it  might  happen  to  stick  fast,  in  the  pack,  or 
out  of  the  pack  ;  and  to  move  on  and  make  search  as 
long  as  it  might  be  able,  in  any  direction  which  should 
ofier  most  promise  of  success. 

The  North  Star  transport,  which  left  England  in  1849 
to  convey  stores  to  the  expedition  under  Sir  James  C. 
Ross,  may  in  some  sense  be  regarded  likewise  as  one  of 
the  exploring  ships  of  1850.  She  became  beset  in  Mel- 
ville Bay  on  the  29th  of  July,  1849,  and  gradually  drifted 
till  the  26th  of  September  ;  and  being  then  abreast  of 
Wolstcnholme  Sound,  and  able  to  bore  a  way  through  tho 
loosened  ice,  she  pressed  up  to  the  head  of  that  sound, 
and  there  wintered  in  lat.  76°  33'  N.,  being  the  most  north- 
erly position  in  which  any  vessel,  except  Dr.  Kane's,  has 
been  known  to  be  laid  up.  She  lost  four  of  her  crew 
during  tho  dismal  seclusion  of  the  Arctic  night,  but  not 
from  causes  attributable  to  the  climate  ;  and  she  found  a 
large  proportion  of  the  preserved  meats  she  had  brought 
from  England  to  be  of  had  quality,  and  was  obliged  tc 


led 

his 

of 

but 

tea 

the 

red 

der 

in 

no 

ew 

;wo 

to 

dl- 

iter 

,  or 

as 

uld 

8-19 
C. 

!0f 

Jel- 
'tcd 
tof 
tho 
ind, 
rth- 
has 
row 
not 
id  a 
:ght 
I  tc 


■A 


-J 


306 


DE  HAVEN.- NORTH  STAR. 


Hence  the  present  expedition.     The  Prince  Albert  sailed 
from  Aberdeen  ou  the  5th  of  June. 

An  expedition  also  was  equipped  in  America.     Thia 
was  got  up  mainly  by  the  exertions  and  at  the  cost  of 
Henry  Grinnell,  Esq.,  a  merchant  of  New  York,  but 
was  put  in  order  and  sent  forth  by  the  United  States 
Navy  department.     It  consisted  of  two   vessels,   the 
Advance  and  the  Rescue,  of  respectively  one  huiiared 
and  twenty-five  and  ninety-five  tons  ;  and  was  put  under 
the  command  of  Lieut.  De  Haven,  who  had  served  in 
the  United  State  -  Exploring  Expedition,  under  Commo 
dore  Wilkes,  in  the  Antarctic  seas.     It  sailed  from  New 
York  on  the  24th  of  May,  and  was  accompanied  for  two 
days  in  his  yacht  by  Mr.  Grinnell.     Its  object  was  to 
push  promptly  forward,  in  any  way  it  could,  in  the  di- 
rection of  Melville  Island  and  Banks's  Land ;  to  winter 
wherever  it  might  happen  to  stick  fast,  in  the  pack,  or 
out  of  the  pack  ;  and  to  move  on  and  make  search  aa 
long  as  it  might  be  able,  in  any  direction  which  should 
offer  most  promise  of  success. 

The  North  Star  transport,  which  left  England  in  1849 
to  convey  stores  to  the  expedition  under  Sir  James  C. 
Ross,  may  in  some  sense  be  regarded  likewise  as  one  of 
the  exploring  ships  of  1850.     She  became  beset  in  Mel- 
ville Bay  on  the  29th  of  July,  1849,  and  gradually  drifted 
till  the  26th  of  September  ;  and  being  then  abreast  of 
Wolstenholmo  Sound,  and  able  to  bore  a  way  through  tho 
loosened  ice,  she  pressed  up  to  the  head   of  that  sound, 
and  there  wintered  in  lat.  W  33'  N.,  being  the  most  north- 
erly position  in  which  any  vessel,  except  Dr.  Kane's,  has 
been  known  to  bo  laid  up.     She  lost  four  of  her  crew 
during  the  dismal  seclusion  of  the  Arctic  night,  but  not 
from  causes  attributable  to  the  climate  ;  and  she  found  a 
large  proportion  of  the  preserved  meats  she  had  brought 
from  England  to  be  of  bad  quality,  and  was  obliged  to 


PROGRESS  OF  THE  EXPEDITIOI^.  309 

put  the  surviving  crew  upon    two-thirds    allowance 
She  got  out  of  WoIstenholn.0  Sound  on  the  1st  of  Angus 
1850    passed  through  "the  middle  ice  "  in  the  cLr 

of  the  8th  left  despatches  there,  and  arrived  at  Leopold 
on  the  13th.     She  found  that  harbo    full  of  ice.  and  wa 
not  able  to  land  stores  at  it,  and  with  great  diilicuTy 
ornmunjcated  with  the  shore  by  boat,  to  leave  a  noti cl 

find  tTl     ,      '  "'"*"'"*  *°"^^^  P«^*  ^^«^«--.  but 
found  that  place  entirely  blocked  with  ice  :  and  then 

stretched  across  out  of  the  inlet,  and  spoke  first  the 
Lady  Franklin,  and  afterwards  the  Felix,  and  got  intel- 
.gence  from  them  of  the  great  searching  operations  of 
that  season.  She  next  proceeded  to  Navy  Board  Inlet 
and  there  on  the  mainland,  behind  Wollaston  Island' 
she  put  ashore  her  surplus  stores  of  fuel  and  provisions' 
She  had  suddenly  to  scud  away  before  a  gale  ;  and,  run- 
ning  out  of  the  mid-channel  of  Lancaster  Sound,  on  the 
-Stii  of  September  she  arrived  in  Scotland. 

The  several  expeditions  of  1850  np  Baffin's  Bay  en- 
countered  enormous  difficulties  from  "  the  middle  ice  " 
and  the  Melvillo  Bay  barrier.     Though  the  ships  sailed 
f  om  widely  different  points  at  widely  different  periods 
they  nearly  all  got  into  view  of  one  another,  and  mosi 
were  for  some  time  closely  in  company.     All  were  at 
several  times  arrested  or  beset ;  and  the  best  and  largest 
spent  five  weeks  in  eflecting  a  northward  distance  of 
tlnrty  miles.     The  perils  which  they  braved  were  only 
n  degree  or  two  less  terrible  than  those  of  the  Te.ror  in 
Hudson  s  Bay  in  1836.     The  crews  of  the  smaller  ves- 
sels  were  repeatedly  all  prepared,  with  their  bundles 
and  loose  stores,  to  leap  on  the  ice  from  expected  ship- 
wreck and  to  betake  themselves  to  sledging  or  foot- 
travelhng  for  escape  to  the  land.     The  environment  by 
massive  towering  icebergs,  was  sometimes  so  complete 


310 


THE  PRINCE  ALBERT. 


!r.«i' 


as  to  exclude  every  perceptible  outlet,  sometimes  so 
close  as  almost  to  rub  the  ships,  and  sometimes  so  un- 
steady or  whirling  as  to  threaten  overwhelming  somer- 
sets. Some  whaling-ships  which  got  early  to  the  north, 
though  commanded  by  the  most  <\.  "  "tioeu  masters, 
and  manned  by  the  most  select  cr^  »  '  3d  about  and 
sailed  back  to  the  south,  fully  bcliev.  ■  ^  .he  ponet-ation 
of  Melville  Bay  that  season  to  be  either  an  impossibility 
or  practicable  ordy  at  fearful  hazards. 

The  expedition  ships,  however,  were  little,  if  at  all, 
daunted,  conscious  of  possessing  higher  powers,  and 
resolutely  determined  to  get  on.  Tlie  means  which 
they  used  for  forcing  their  way  comprised  all  the  known 
methods  of  boring,  tracking,  and  cutting,  and  were 
sometimes  efiected  with  prodigious  labor  and  indomita- 
ble perseverance  ;  and  they  comprised  also,  in  the  case 
of  the  British  government  expedition,  the  smashing  of 
all  thin  floes,  and  sometimes  the  perilous  assault  of 
thick  ones,  by  the  impetus  of  the  steamers.  The 
smaller  vessels  of  the  private  expeditions  might  have 
seemed  incompetent  for  such  rough  work  ;  but,  thuugli 
ill  able  to  attack,  they  were  well  able  to  run  and  maiiccu. 
vre  ;  and,  on  tlie  average  of  the  voyage  through  the 
ice,  they  were  found  t(j  be  fully  as  safe,  and  more  than 
fully  as  manageable,  as  the  large  ships. 

Tiie  little  Prince  Albert,  in  particular,  did  wonders  , 
and  on  one  occasion,  disdaining  to  lie  ice-fast,  she  made 
a  daring  attack  upon  a  neck  of  ice  which  lay  between 
her  and  an  open  piece  of  water.  With  a  tremendous 
blow,  that  for  the  moment  made  her  rebound  and  trem- 
ble, she  struck  the  ice  in  the  exact  point,  and  rent  it 
into  fragments. 

The  steamers,  for  a  long  way,  accelerated  the  prog- 
ress not  only  of  the  government  ships,  but  also  of  the 
Felix  and  the  Prince  Alliert,  by  towing  them  through 


f! 


MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  SHIPS, 


nil 


I 


pervious  masses  of  loose  ice,  and  by  forcing  a  passage 
tlirough  impediments.     One  of  the  scenes,  described  by 
Snow,  in  this  part  of  the  voyage  illustrates  its  arduous- 
ness  and  novelty :     "We  came  to  a  heavy  nip,  and  all 
the  vessels  had  to  be  made  fast  to  a  floe  until  a  pas- 
sage could  be  cleared.     The  Pioneer,  immodiately  on 
casting  off  the  Resolute's  tow-rope,  was  directed  to  dash 
at  the   impediment,  under  full   power.     This   she   did 
boldly  and  fearlessly,  rushing  stem  on,  and  fairly  dig. 
ging  her  bows  into  it  in  a  most  remarkable  manner. 
Backing  instantly  astern,  and  then  again  going  ahead,' 
she  performed  the  same  manoeuvre,  fairly  lifting  herself 
up  on  end,  like  a  prancing  war-horse.     By  this  time  the 
nip  was  too  heavy  to  be  so  broken,  though  both  the 
steamers  had  previously  cleared  many  similar  impedi- 
ments  in  that  manner.     It  was  now,  however,  necessary 
to  resort  to  other  means  ;  and,  accordingly,  parties  from 
every  ship  were  sent  on  the  ice  to  assist  in  blowing  it 
up,  and  removing  the  fragments  as  thoy  got  loosened. 
The  same  p'an  as  that,  I  believe,  adopted  in  blasting 
rocks,  was  here  pursued.     Powder  was  sunk  to  a  certain 
depth,  a  slow   match  applied,  and  at  a  given  signal 
Ignited.     Due  time  was  allowed,  and  then  the  enormous 
masses   would   be   seen   in    convulsive    movement,    as 
though  shaken  by  a  volcanic  eruption,  until  piece  upon 
piece  was  sent  in  the  air,  and  the  larger  bodies  wore 
completely    rent    int.)    innumerable    fragments.      The 
steamers  then  darted  fonvard,  and  with  warps  dragged 
out  the  immense  blocks  that  had  been  thus  dissevered 
Several  efforts  had  to  be  made  by  blasting  and  forcing 
the  ice  before  a  passage  could  be  cleared." 

On  the  14th  of  August  the  Lady  Franklin  and  the 
Sophia  wore  for  a  little  while  in  company  with  the  other 
ships,  and  then,  amidst  deafening  cheers,  stood  away, 
•iMder  all  sail,  to  the  west.     On  the  following  night! 


312 


MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  SIIIP3. 


when  the  little  fleet  wore  off  Cape  Dudley  Diggea,  th« 
Intrepid,  the  Assistance,  and  the  Felix,  parted  company 
to  make  a  search  in  Wolstcnholme  Sound.  On  the  15th 
the  Pioneer,  the  Resolute,  and  the  Prince  Albert,  were 
quite  into  the  "  North  Water,"  away  from  the  ice  ;  and 
on  the  16th  Captain  Austin  announced  his  intention  to 
call  at  Pond's  Bay  and  Possession  Bay.  He  expressed 
a  wish  that  the  Prince  Albert  would  examine  the  south 
shore  of  Lancaster  Sound  from  Cape  Hay  onward  ;  and 
stated  that  the  Intrepid  and  tho?  Assistance  would  ex- 
amine the  north  shore,  and  .  Dmc  to  a  rendezvous  with 
the  Resolute  somewhere  about  the  mouth  of  Wellington 
Channel. 

Early  on  the  21st  of  August  the  Prince  Albert  arrived 
off  Port  Leopold.  A  landing  was  effected  with  great 
difficulty  in  a  gutta-percha  boat,  and  could  not  have 
been  effected  at  all  in  any  ordinary  boat.  The  house 
constructed  by  Sir  James  C.  Ross  was  found  much  rent 
in  several  places  on  the  top  and  at  the  sides,  but  other- 
wise in  excellent  order,  and  quite  fit  to  be  a  temporary 
retreat  to  any  forlorn  or  cast-away  Arctic  adventurers. 
The  stores  were  abundant  and  in  prime  condition.  The 
steam  launch  seemed  a  noble  little  vessel,  in  which  a 
brave-hearted  party  might  venture  anywhere,  and  was 
so  placed  that  she  could  very  easily  be  run  into  the  sea. 
But  not  a  trace  was  found  of  the  visit  of  any  wanderer 
from  the  Erebus  and  the  Terror. 

The  Prince  Albert  now  stood  away  down  Prince  Re- 
gent's Inlet ;  and  towards  evening,  when  she  was  glid- 
ing past  the  ice  of  Batty  Bay,  her  crew  wore  startled 
for  a  moment  into  a  thriP  of  hope.  The  men  on  deck 
thought  they  heard  a  gun  fired  on  shore ;  the  officers 
ran  to  scrutinize  the  land  through  their  glasses  aloft  ; 
the  vessel  was  steered  closer  to  the  bay  ;  the  howitzer 
was  cleared  away,  and  fired  ;  but  not  the  slightest  sign 


MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  SHIPS.  313 

Of  life  could  be  seen  ;  not  the  faintest  answering  sound 
J.as  heard.  The  supposed  shot  had  been  n^e^i;  the 
falling  of  a  p.ece  of  rock,  or  the  collision  of  some  heavy 
masses  of  ice.  "^ 

Next  morning  the  vessel  was  off  Fury  Beach,  a,.d  in 

to  t        V-  ifZ^''""  ^^'  %  cleared  away,  she  proved 
to  be  in  a  bight  of  the  ice.  within  a  fey.  yards  of  a  con- 
tmuous    heavy,  hummocky  expanse,  which  contained 
"ot  as  far  as  ,t  could  be  seen  from  the  crow's  nest,  one 
pool  or  crack,  or  the  slightest  promise  of  an  open:  ,g. 
The  officers  examined  this  long  and  anxiously,  and  w.  ^e 
forced  to  conclude  that  any  attempt  to  penetrate  it  tnat 
,r'"r  J"l- ,     ^'  ^Pr^'^ticable.     They  gloomily  but 
Irresistibly  felt  the  specific  object  of  their  voyage  the 
examination  of  the  shores  of  Boothia,  to  be  iLted, 
and  saw  at  once  that  they  must  turn  about  and  lose 
little  time  in  returning  to  Britain.     But  they  resolved 
fiist  to  look  at  some  of  the  most  accessible  shores  and 
headlands  about  the  throat  of  Barrow's  Strait,  and  a 
brief  way  up  Wellington  Channel. 

During  twenty-four  hours,  Mr.  Snow,  with  a  sn.all 
boat  party,  made  a  romantic  land  search  of  the  coast 
around  Batty  Bay.  and  on  to  Port  Leopold  ;  and  he  found 
the  latter  place  Jar  more  blocked  up  than  on  the  2l8t 
and  did  not  get  away  from  it  without  enormous  labo; 
and  difficulty.  When  he  again  reached  his  vessel  they 
had  to  stand  well  away  to  avoid  collision  with  a  heavy 

sounds       When  they  got  a  little  way  into  Barrow's 

whTch'ff  ^rT  ""'"'"^'  "^'^*  ^'^"^^^^  *h^'»  ^  ««hooner, 
wh  ch  they  first  supposed  to  be  the  Felix,  but  afterward 
found  to  be  the  American  brig  Advance.  On  the 
mormng  of  the  24th,  they  were  standing  across  to  Cape 
Hu  d,  under  a  clear  sky  and  with  a  moderate  breeze, 
-rhile  a  hea^•y  pack  was  visible  from  the  crow's  nest 


3n 


MEETING   IN  THE  ARCTIC  SEA3. 


extending  all  along  the  coast  of  North  Somerset,  from 
outHide  of  Leopold  Island  on  the  east,  to  the  vicinity  cf 
Cape  Rennell,  whore  it  appeared  to  enlarge,  and  began 
to  take  a  curved  direction  toward  Cape  Ilothain. 
The  Advance  was  still  behind  them  ;  the  Lady  Franklin 
and  the  Sophia  were  to  windward,  stniggling  along 
shore  in  the  vicinity  of  Radstock  Bay  ;  and,  as  the  day 
wore  on,  throe  more  ships  were  obberved  at  the  mouth  of 
Wellington  Channel. 

An  hour  before  noon  of  the  25th,  when  the  Prince 
Albert  was  off  Cape  Spencer,  her  officers  saw  that  she 
must  stop.  An  extensive  pack  was  then  a  short  dis- 
tance ahead,  broken  oidy  by  a  few  lanes  of  water, 
through  wiiich  the  ships  in  advance  had  evidently 
passed  ;  and  the  wind  was  blowing  in  a  direction, 
happily,  quite  favorable  forcan-ying  these  ships  rapidly 
on  to  the  regions  of  most  desirable  search,  but  fitted 
also  to  make  a  prompt  closiire  of  the  pack  against  any 
return  that  season  to  the  east.  If  the  Prince  Albert 
should  now  go  forward  more  than  a  mile  or  two,  she 
might  be  suddenly  canght  by  the  ice,  and  helplessly  and 
tiselessly  shut  up  for  the  winter.  At  noon,  tliorefore, 
she  bore  up  when  about  midway  between  Cape  Spencer 
and  Point  Innes  ;  and  then  Mr,  Snow  won*  to  the  mast- 
head to  take  a  last  view  of  the  position  and  seeming 
prospects  of  the  several  exploring  vessels. 

Cape  Ilotham  was  seen  to  the  west  enveloped  in  a 
thick  haze.  The  Assistance  appeared  some  distance  tj 
the  north-east  of  it,  endeavoring  to  get  to  it,  seemingly 
either  in  a  hole  of  water  or  along  a  lane.  The  Lady 
Franklin  was  not  flir  from  the  Assistance,  but,  proba- 
bly, about  mid-channel,  either  working  toward  Cape 
Ilotham,  or  trying  to  get  right  away  to  the  west.  The 
Sophia,  also  under  all  sail,  waa  some  distance  astern 
of  the  Lady  Franklin,  and  more  to  the  east.     The  Re» 


;rRACES  OF  FRANKLIN.  gjg 

cno  was  fltill  further  to  the  eant,  co,.Hi,le,al,ly  i„.«horo 
«..d  apparently  beset.     All  these  vessels  were  amona 
heavy  ,co      The  Advance  could  no.  be  seen,  but  wl! 
supposed  to  be  behind  one  of  the  points  of  land  ;  ami 
H  ...  was  afterwards  spoken  in  the  vicinity  df  Cape  i  ilev 
doso  n.-8hore    fast  to  an  iceberg.     Tl^o  Intrepid,  too' 
was  no   then  visible,  but  had  been  seen  in  the  rnorning! 
All  Wcli.ugton  Channel,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach 
as  mied  w.th  one  solid  pack,  broken   only  hero  and 
U.m,  by  a  small  lane.     Some  high  land,  .,^,rk^  ^^ 
and    fnn.y  fron     haze   and  distance,    was  seen  toward 
Cape  Bowden    trending  apparently  to  the  north-west 
One  heavy  pack  extended  athwart  ail  the  south-west 
and  seemed  to  be  impenetrable.     The  only  clear  wate; 
visible  lay  nnmediately  around  the  Prince  Albert,  and 
backward  along  the  way  by  which  she  had  come 

On  the  same  day,  soon  after  the  Prince  Albert  had 
urned  her  bow  homeward,  a  flag-staff,  like  a  signal- 
post,  was  observed  on  Cape  Riley.     The  oflicers.  sup. 
pns,ng  th,s  to  have  been  set  up  by  a  party  from  some 
..ne  of  the  exploration    ships,    sent  a  boat  ashore   to 
usee,  ,„,  ^,  t  ,t  meant.     A  cylinder  was  found  at  the 
I  ag-stafr,  containing  a  notice  that  the  officers  of  the 
Assistance  and  the  Intrepid  had  landed  on  Cape  Riley 
;•"   the  23d:     that   they  had   collected   there    distinct 
traces  of  an  encampment  by  some  party  belonging  to 
to  royal  navy  of  Britain  ;  that  they  had  found  trLs 
of  the  same  party  on   Beechey  Island,  and  that  thev 
purposed  to  proceed  thence  to  Cape  Ilotham  and  Capo 
\V  alker,  in  search  of  further  traces. 

The  little  boat-party  from  the  Prince  Albert  were  too 
zealous  to  be  satisfied  with  this  mere  notice.  They 
luoked  eagerly  around,  and  soon  observed  five  spots 
on  which  tents  seemed  to  have  been  fixed,  and  also 
-.btained  a  piece  of  navy  rope,  a  piece  of  canvas,  a  chip 


n 


316 


TRACES  OF   FRANKLIN. 


of  timber,  aiul  ti  nurnbor  of  mout-boiios.  TIioso,  ali 
poor  ttiul  pitiiu)  though  thoy  miglit  H(!otn  of  tiioiiiHi'lvcH, 
Hoomed  to  throw  ho  perceptible  a  liglit  on  at  least  the 
conimeiicement  of  tlie  mystery  of  tlie  '  uiiltliii  uxpodi* 
tion,  that  tlioy  were  eHteemed  a  precious  prize. 

The  Prince  Albert  arrived  at  Aberdeen  on  the  Ist 
of  October ;  and  the  relics  from  Capo  Riley  were 
speedily  sent  to  the  Admiralty,  and  subjected  there  to  a 
rigorous  scrutiny.  The  piece  of  rope  was  found  to  be 
of  navy^yard  manufacture,  not  later  than  1841  ;  the 
piece  of  canvas  to  have  a  corresponding  character  ; 
the  chip  of  timber  to  have  a  recent  cut,  with  seemingly 
an  European  axe ;  the  tneat-bones  to  bear  exactly  tlio 
marks  of  a  ship's  provisions  used  about  five  years 
back  ;  the  reported  tent-marks  to  be  nearly  such  as 
might  bo  expected  from  a  party  making  a  long  slay  for 
the  purpose  of  scientific  observation  ;  and  the  entire 
circumstances  of  the  traces  on  Cape  Riley  unaccount* 
able  by  any  known  or  supposable  event,  except  a  pro- 
longed visit,  in  1845  or  1840,  by  a  party  from  the  Erebus 
and  the  Terror. 

The  first  traces  of  the  missing  ships  were  discovered 
by  Captain  Ommanoy,  in  the  Assistance,  at  Cape  Riloy, 
on  the  23d  August,  1850.  The  cape  is  a  point  at  the 
eastern  entrance  of  Wellington  Channel  ;  about  three 
miles  west  of  it  rises  the  bold  abrupt  coast  of  Beechey 
Island  ;  and  between  the  shores  of  this  isle  and  the 
mainland  lies  a  bay  to  which  extraordinary  interest  is 
now  attached.  On  its  coast  were  observed  numerous 
eledgo-tracks  ;  and  at  Capo  Spencer,  about  ten  miles 
from  Cape  Riley,  up  Wellington  Channel,  the  party 
discovered  the  ground-place  of  a  tent,  the  floor  neatly 
paved  with  small  smooth  stones. 

Around  the  tent  a  number  of  birds'  bones,  as  wi.ll  as 
remnants  of  meat-canisters,  seemed  to  indicate  that  it 


TRACES  OF   FRANKLIN. 


817 


had  bcon  itilml.ite.l  for  Bomo  tiiuo  uh  a  shooting  station 
and  »  look-(,nt  place,  for  which  latter  purpoHc  it  was 
Hdmiral.ly  chfiHcn,  comtnauding  a  good  view  of  Barrow's 
Strait  and  Wellington  Channel. 

Son.o  Hledge-tracks  led  northward  for  about  twenty 
miles,  but  the  trail  ceased  south  of  Capo  Bowden,  and 
an  empty  bottle  and  a  piece  of  newspaper  were  the  last 
things  found.     The  results  of  examining  Becchey  Island 
niUHt  bo  given  in  more  detail.     Lieut.  OHborno  says  : 
"  A  long  point  of  land  slopes  gradually  from  the  south- 
em  blufls  of  this  now  deeply  interesting  island,  until  it 
almost  connects  itself  with  the  land  of  North  Devon, 
forming  on  either  side  of  it  two  good  and  commodious 
baya.     On  this  slope  a  multitude  of  proHcrved-meat-tins 
were  strewed  about ;  and  near  them,  and  on  the  ridge 
of   the   slope,   a  carefully-constructed   cairn   was   dis- 
covered  ;  it  consisted  of  layers  of  fitted  ti'is.  filled  with 
gravel,  and  placed  to  form  a  firm  and  soiid  foundation. 
Beyond  this,  and  along  the  northern  saoro  of  Beechey 
Island,    the   following  tracea   were    c'.ien   quickly   dis- 
covered :  the  emliuukment  of  a  house,  with  carpenters' 
and  armorers'  working-places,  washing-tubs,  coal-bags, 
pieces  of  old  clothing,  rope,—  and,  lastly,  the  graves  of 
three  of  the  crew  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror,  bearing 
date  of  the  winter  of  18t5-6.     We,  therefore,  now  had 
ascertained  tfie  first  winter  quarters  of  Sir  John  Franklin. 
"  On  the  eastern  slope  of  the  ridge  of  Beechey  Island  a 
remnant  of  a  garden  (for  remnant  it  now  only  was,  having 
been  dug  up  in  the  search)  told- an  interesting  tale  ;  its 
neatly-shaped,  oval  outline  —  the  border  carefully  formed 
of  moss  lichen,   poppies,  and  anemones,  transplanted 
from  some  more  genial  part  of  this  dreary  region  —  con- 
trived still  to  show  symptoms  of  vitality  ;  but  the  seeds 
which,  doubtless,  t!iey  had  sowed  in  the  gard.n,  had  • 
decayed  away.     Nearer  to  the  beach,  a  heap  of  cinders 


j  f  ■■•  i  - 

L 


TRACES  OF  Fil,\.NKLIN 


and  scraps  of  iron  showed  the  armorers'  working-place 
and,  along  an  old  water-course,  now  chained  up  by 
frost,  srveral  tubs,  constructed  of  the  ends  of  salt-meat 
caslis,  left  no  doubt  as  to  the  washing-places  of  the  men 
of  Franklin's  squadron.  Happening  to  cross  a  level 
piece  of  ground,  which  as  yet  no  one  had  lighted  upon, 
I  was  pleased  to  see  a  pair  of  cashmere  gloves  laid  out 
to  dry,  with  two  small  stones  on  the  palms  to  prevent 
their  blowing  away  ;  they  had  been  there  since  1846.  I 
took  them  up  carefully,  as  melancholy  mementoes  of 
my  missing  i'riends.  In  another  spot  a  flannel  was 
discovered  ;  and  this,  together  with  some  things  lying 
about,  would,  in  my  ignorance  of  wintering  in  the  Arctic 
regions,  have  led  me  to  suppose  that  there  was  consid- 
erable haste  displayed  in  the  departure  of  the  Erebus 
and  Terror  from  this  spot,  had  not  Captain  Austin 
assured  me  that  there  was  nothing  to  ground  such  a 
belief  upon,  and  that,  from  experience,  he  could  vouch 
for  these  being  nothing  more  than  the  ordinary  traces 
of  a  winter  station  ;  and  this  opinion  was  fully  borne 
out  by  those  officers  who  had,  in  tlie  previous  year, 
wintered  in  Port  Leopold,  one  of  them  ahserting  that 
people  left  winter  quarters  too  well  pleased  to  escape, 
to  care  much  for  a  handful  of  shavings,  an  old  coal-bag, 
or  a  washing-tub." 

The  most  interesting  traces  of  winter  residence  were 
the  graves  of  P'ranklin's  three  seamen.  Each  gravo 
was  marked  by  an  oaken  head  and  foot  board,  and  the 
inscriptions  wore  as  follow  : 

"Sacred  to  the  memory  of  J.  Torrington,  who  de- 
parted this  lifi'  January  Ist,  1846,  on  bctard  of  11.  M.  S. 
Terror,  aged  20  years." 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  J.  ITartncll,  A.B.,  of 
H.  M   S.  Erebus,  died  January  4th,  1846,  aged  23  years 


TRACES  OF   FRANKLIN. 


319 


Ihu8  sailh  Ihe  Lord  of  Hosts,   Consider  your  ways.— 
Haggai  1  :  7." 

"Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Wm.  Braine,  R.M.,  of 
H.  M.  S.  Erebus,  died  April  3d,  1846,  aged  32  years. 
(Ihoose  ye  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve.  —  Josh.  24  :  15." 
Lieut.  De  Haven,  of  the  Advance,  landed  on  Cape 
Riley  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  August,  where  he 
examined  the  traces  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  before  de- 
scribed, and  erected  a  second  signal-post.     On  the  same 
day  the  Prince  Albert  visited  the  place,  and  by  her,  as 
we  have  seen,  the  flrst  intelligence  of  the  discovery  was 
carried   to   England.     Afterwards   Captain   Penny  and 
his   officers  examined  Beechey  Island  and  the  whole 
neighborhood  very  carefully  and   minutely.      But   the 
thorough   search   made    by  all   these  parties  failed  to 
discover  any  memorandum  or  record  to  indicate  Frank- 
lin's past  eflbrts  or  future  intentions. 

All  that  could  be  learned  from  the  traces  discovere( 
was,  that  Franklin's  ships  wintered,  in  1845-6,  on  thi 
south  side  of  Beechey  Island,  and  tiiat  three  of  his  men 
died  at  that  point.  The  mortality  does  not  exceed  that  of 
previous  expeditions  ;  and  wo  may  therefore  conclude 
that  the  expedition  was  in  highly  effective  order  when 
it  left  that  anchorage,  with  only  a  moderate  inroad  into 
its  stock  of  preserved  meats,  the  seven  hundred  empty 
tins  found  on  the  island  forming  but  a  small  proportion 
of  the  twenty-four  thousand  canisters  with  which  the 
ships  were  supplied. 

IIow  long  Franklin's  ships  remained  at  Beechey  Island, 
when  and  under  what  circumstances  they  left,  and  what 
course  theypersued,  were  mere  matters  of  conjecture,  as 
to  which  various  opinions  have  been  formed.  Some  ex- 
perienced officers  believed  that  the  expedition  did  not 
leave  its  winter  anchorage  till  the  end  of  August  or 
beginning  of  September,  1846.  It  was  also  inferred,  from 


'I 


320 


SLEDGING  PARTIES. 


some  appearancoH,  that  it  loft  suddenly;  that  probably 
a  great  and  unexpected  disruption  of  the  ice  had  sum- 
moned the  crews  to  resume  progress  in  the  ships ;  but 
this  was  contested  by  other  officers  of  equal  experience, 
who  contended  tliat  there  could  have  been  no  hurry  in 
removing  from  Becchey  Ishind,  as  everything  bore  the 
stamp  of  order  and  regularity,  utterly  forbidding  the 
idea  that  Franklin  had  been  forced  away  by  the  ice. 

On  the  8th  September,  1850,  most  of  the  searching 
vessels  got  once  more  free  from  the  ice,  and  unfurled 
their  sails  in  open  water,  along  the  south  side  of  Corn- 
wallia  Island.  They  bore  boldly  away,  in  the  hope  of 
penetrating  well  to  the  west,  but  were  soon  arrested  by 
a  vast  floe,  which  extended  from  the  south-west  end  of 
Griffith  Island,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  They 
kept  close  to  this,  and  strove  with  it,  from  the  10th  till 
the  13th,  and  then  began  again  to  get  forward ;  yet  pro- 
ceeded only  a  short  distaiice,  amid  great  embarrassment 
and  severe  exertion,  when  they  were  compelled  to  stick 
fast  for  the  winter.  The  government  ships  were  locked 
up  in  the  ice  between  Cornwallis  Island  and  Griffith 
Island  ;  and  all  the  others  were  sufficiently  near  to 
admit  of  easy  communication  among  the  whole  squad- 
ron. 

Arrangements  were  early  made  for  performing  explor- 
atory journeys  with  sledges  in  spring.  Captain  Aus- 
tin superintended  those  for  the  lands  and  islands  along 
what  may  be  called  Parry's  Strait,  —  the  band  of  sea 
westward  from  Barrow's  Strait  to  Melville  Island,  and 
the  north  end  of  Banks's  Land  ;  and  Captain  Penny  un- 
dertook  to  conduct  the  search  of  Wellington  Channel. 
Sledges  were  sent  out,  before  the  severest  period  of  the 
winter,  to  place  provisions  in  depot  for  the  use  of  the 
explorers  in  spring  ;  and  exercises  of  walking  and  sledgo- 
dragging  were  afterwards,  in  all  favorable  weather,  prao 


SLEDGING   PARTIES, 


321 


ti8e<l  near  the  Bhips,  to  keep  the  men  vigorous,  and  to 
tram  them  for  their  journeyings. 

On  the  12th  of  April  the  parties  for  the  westward  ex- 
ploration,  amounting  to  one  hundred  and  foHr  men,  with 
ourteen  sledges,  were  all  ready,  and  proceeded,  under 
the  command  of  Captain  Ommaney,  to  an  encampment 
at  the  north-west  end  of  GrifBth  Island.     There  they 
underwent  a  close  inspection  by  Captain  Austin,  and 
spent  three  days  in  repose,  and  in  waiting  for  the  abate- 
ment of  a  tempestuous  wind.     On  the  evening  of  the 
15th  they  united  in  a  special  prayer  to  the  Divine  Be- 
ing  for  protection  and  guidance,  and  then,  with  enthu- 
siastic determination,  started  on  their  arduous  enter- 
pnse. 

Six  of  the  parties  were  "extended"  ones,  — to  go 
to  the  utmost  possible  distance,  -three  along  the  south 
shore,  and  three  along  the  north  shore.    The  first  sledge 
on  the  south  shore,  the  Reliance,  under  Captain  Omma- 
ney,  travelled  four  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  discov- 
ered  two   hundred   and    five    miles   of  previously  un- 
known  coast,  and  was  absent  sixty  days.     The  second, 
the   rrue   Blue,  under   Lieut.    Osborne,  travelled   five 
hundred   and   six   miles,  discovered   seventy  miles   of 
coast   and  was  absent  fifty-eight  days.     And  the  third, 
the  Enterprise,  under  Lieut.   Browne,   travelled   three 
hundred  and  seventy-five  miles,  discovered  one  hundred 
and  hfty  miles  of  coast,  and  was  absfent  forty-four  days. 
In  this  travelling  sails  were  occasionally  hoisted  on  the 
sledges,  and  large  kites  were  also  attached.     When  the 
wind  was  high,  these  aids  propelled  the  sledge  very 
rapidly,  and  the  whole  of  the  party  then  rode  ;  but  when 
the  wind  fell,  the  sledges,  with  their  provisions  and 
stores,  had  to  be  dragged  by  main  force  over  the  ice 
by  the  men  harnessed  to  them.     The  most  western  point 
reached  was  the  extreme  one  of  the  True  Blue,  and  ii 


S22 


SLEDGING  PARTIES 


situated  in  west  longitude  103°  25',  almost  half  way 
between  Leopold  Island  and  Point  Turnagain  on  the 
American  continent. 

The  first  sledge  on  the  north  shore,  the  Lady  Frank- 
lin, under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Aldrich,  travelled  five 
hundred  and  fifty  miles,  discovered  seventy  miles  of 
coast,  and  was  absent  sixty-tw^  days.  The  second,  the 
Pereeverance,  under  the  command  of  Lieut.  M'Clintock, 
travelled  seven  hundred  aiid  sixty  miles,  discovered 
forty  miles  of  coast,  and  was  absent  eighty  days.  And 
the  third,  tlie  Resolute,  under  the  command  of  Surgeon 
Bradford,  travelled  six  hundred  and  sixty-nine  miles, 
discovered  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles  of  coast, 
and  was  absent  eighty  days.  Lieut.  M'OHntock's  party 
achieved  the  furthest  westing  of  the  three  ;  and  the  fur- 
thest, indeed,  which  has  ever  been  attained  in  the  polar 
seas,  —  a  point  in  latitude  74°  38'  and  west  longitude 
114°  20'. 

He  left  the  ships  on  the  15th  of  April,  and,  taking  a 
course  due  west,  reached  Point  Grifiith,  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  Melville  Island,  on  the  11th  of  May.  On  tho 
2l8t  he  sighted  Wii-.ter  Harbor ;  but,  there  being  neither 
ships,  tents,  nor  any  sign  of  human  habitation,  to  be 
seen,  he  deferred  any  close  scrutiny  of  it  until  his  return. 
By  the  2'7th  of  May  he  had  readied  Cape  Dundas,  at  tho 
western  extremity  of  Melville  Island  ;  and  on  the  follow- 
ing day,  ascending  a  high  cliff,  made  out  the  coast  of 
Banks's  Land. 

To  the  north  of  Banks's  Land,  at  a  distance  from  it 
of  about  seventy  miles,  he  discovered  a  range  of  land 
apparently  running  nearly  due  west.  "  This  does  not 
present  steep  cliffs,  but  a  bold  and  deeply  indented 
coast ;  the  land  rising  to  the  interior,  and  intersected 
by  valleys  rather  than  ravines."  The  sea  he  imagined 
to  continue  to  the  westward.     Following  the  coast  of 


BLEDOUfG  PAHTIES. 


32S 


Melville  Island  to  the  north-east,  he  entered  Liddon 
Gulf,  and  here  saw  fragments  of  coal  of  good  quality 
Leaving  the  shore,  he  crossed  the  gulf  to  gain  Bushman 
Cove,  where  Parry,  in  his  journey  across  the  island,  in 
1820,  had  left  the  "  strong  but  light  cart,"  in  which  he 
had  carried  his  tent  and  stores.  On  the  1st  of  Juno 
M'Clintock  reached  the  west  point  of  the  cove,  and, 
leaving  two  men  to  prepare  supper,  he  commenced  a 
search,  with  four  others,  for  Parry's  encampment  of  the 
lllh  of  June,  1820: 

"  On  reaching  the  ravine  leading  into  the  cove,"  he 
Bays,  "  we  spread  across,  and  walked  up,  and   easily 
found  the  encampment,  although  the   pole  had  fallen 
down.     The  very  accurate  report  published  of  his  jour- 
ney saved  us  much  labor  in  finding  the  tin  cylinder  and 
ammunition.   The  crevices  between  the  stones  piled  over 
them  were  filled  with  ice  and  snow ;  the  powder  com- 
pletely  destroyed,  and  cylinder  eaten  through  with  rust, 
and  filled  with  ice.     From  the   extreme  difficulty  of 
descending  into  such  a  ravine  with  any  vehicle,  I  sup- 
posed  that  the  most  direct  route,  where   all  seemed 
equally  bad,  was  selected  ;  therefore  sent  the  men  di- 
rectly  up  the  northern  bank,  in  search  of  the  wheels 
which  were   left  where  the   cart   broke   down.     They 
fortunately  found  them  at  once  ;  erected  a  cairn  about 
the  remains  of  the  wall  built  to  shelter  the  tent ;  placed 
tt  record  on  it,  in  one  tin  case  within  another.     We  then 
collected  a  few  relics  of  our  predecessors,  and  returned 
with  the  remains  of  the  cart  to  our  encampment.     An 
excellent  fire  had  been  made  with  willow  stems  ;  and 
upon  this  a  kettle,  containing  Parry's  cylinder,    was 
placed.     As  soon  as  the  ice  was  thawed  out  of  it,  the 
record  it  contained  was  carefully  taken  out.     I  could 
only  just  distinguish  the  date.     Had  it  been  in  a  better 


326 


SLEDGING  PARTIES 


State  of  preservation,  I  would  have  restorotl  it  to  its 
lonely  position." 

As  the  weather  was  misty,  M'Clintock  did  not  explore 
the  head  of  the  gulf,  but  struck  directly  across  the  land 
for  Winter  Harbor.  It  was  evident  that  no  one  had 
visited  the  place  since  Parry's  departure,  in  1820. 

On  the  shore,  above  Winter  Harbor,  is  a  large  sand- 
stone bowlder,  near  the  site  of  Parry's  observatory,  on 
the  flat  face  of  which  Mr.  Fisher,  his  surgeon,  had  cut 
this  inscription  : 

His   Dritannio  Majesty's 
Ships  JIECLA  and  GRIPER, 

Comiiianded  hy 

W.  E.  Parry  and  Mr.  Liddon, 

Wintered  in  the  adjacent 

Harbor  1819-20. 

A.  Flaher,  Sculpt. 

This  inscription,  M'Clintock  says,  appeared  quite 
fresh.  A  hare,  discovered  at  the  foot  of  this  rock, 
was  so  tame  tliat  she  entered  the  tent,  and  would  almost 
allow  the  men  to  touch  her.  "I  have  never  seen," 
he  siiys,  "any  animal,  in  its  natural  state,  so  perfectly 
fearless  of  man  ;  and  there  cannot  be  a  more  convincing 
proof  that  our  missing  countrymen  have  not  been  here. 
A  ptarmigan  alighted  on  the  rock,  and  was  shot,  without 
in  ttie  least  disturbing  puss  as  she  sat  beneath  it." 

M'Clintock  carved  the  figures  1851  on  the  rock,  and 
left  it  and  the  hare. 

On  the  6th  June  he  left  Winter  Harbor,  and  reached 
the  ships  on  the  4th  of  July.  The  latter  part  of  his 
journey  was  fatiguing,  from  the  extensive  pools  of 
water  in  the  ice  ;  but  all  his  men  arrived  in  excellent 
health  and  spirits.  He  was  out  eighty  days,  and  had 
tiavelled  seven  hundred  and  seventy  miles.  Several 
reindeer,  musk-oxen,  and  bears,  were  shot,  besides 
numerous  birds:    and  the  food   thus  obtained  was  of 


.'v/'.> 


M 


SLEDGING   PARTIES. 


327 


rery  matcMal  importance  to  the  people.  They  travelled 
when  the  cold  was  so  intenae  that  bottles  of  water,  ear- 
ned by  the  men  in  their  breasts,  froze  after  an  hour  or 
80  ;  salt  pork  broke  like  suet,  and  rum  thickened.  This 
journey  made  it  certain  that  Franklin  had  not  passed 
west  of  the  Parry  Islands. 

The  other  two  parties  moved  in  higher  latitudes,  and 
were  stopped  a  little  west  of  Sabine  Island,  yet  they 
traversed  tracts  and  encountered  incidents  of  hii 
interest.  ° 

The  parties  of  less  limited  range  than  the  "  extended  " 
ones  deposited  provisions,  set  up  marks,  made  obser- 
vations,  ascertamed  positions,  and  effected  minor  ex- 
plorat.ons  ;  and  were  absent  during  periods  of  from 
twelve  to  Uurty-four  days.  They  may  seem  to  have  had 
oas,er  work  than  the  others;  yet  they  suffered  more 

ZT/'  .7-.r  ^"'"''  '''"'  t-onty-eight  of  their  men 

were  frost-b,tten,  and   one   died  from  exhaustion  and 

cold.     The  ex  ended  parties  got  back  in  good  health, 

and  neech^d  only  a  little  rest  and  comfort  to  repair  the 

eflccts  of  their  privation  and  fatigue.     But  not  one  of 

all  the  parties,  near  or  remote,  obtained  the  slightest 

race  of  the  missing  adventurers  ;  and  Captain  Austin, 

after  rece.nng  and  considering  well  the  reports  of  all 

arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the  expedition  under 

Sir  John  Franklin  did  not  prosecute  the  object  of  its 

mu^sion  to  the  southward  and  westward  of  Wellington 

The  sledge-parties  for  the  exploration  of  Wellington 
Channel  amounted  to  six,  and  comprised  forty-one  men 
and  were  officered  by  Captain  Stewart,  Messrs.  Marshal!,' 
Re.d  and  J.  Stuart,  and  Surgeons  Sutherland  and 
r.  .odsir.  They  started  on  the  Hth  of  April,  under  the 
fireneral  superintendence  of  Captain  Penny  ;  but  thev 
•oon  encountcrpd  «overe  weather,  and  were   buffeted 


■ 


1^ 


328 


BLEDGINQ  PARTIES 


and  baffled  by  it  for  a  series  of  days,  and  compelled  tc 
return  ;  and  on  the  6th  of  May,  after  Hpcc'iil  prayer  to 
God  for  support,  tiiey  again  started.  Some  courHed  so 
*'ur  and  so  cnrvingly  as  to  make  a  near  approach  to  tho 
most  northerly  of  Captain  Austin's  parties ;  and  all 
figured  largely  and  respectably  in  the  Kquadron's  aggre- 
gate of  exploits.  But  their  chief  feat —  the  feat,  at  least, 
of  those  on  the  channel  and  west  of  it  —  was  a  discovery 
whicli  put  a  stop  to  their  progress  toward  the  north, 
and  gave  an  entirely  new  complexion  to  tho  search  in 
which  they  were  engaged,  —  t!ic  discovery  of  a  wide 
westward  strait  of  open  water,  lying  along  the  further 
side  of  the  lands  which  flank  Barrow's  Strait  and  Parry's 
Strait. 

Captain  Penny  personally  shared  in  this  discovery, 
and  made  great  exertions  to  follow  it  up.  The  explor- 
ers, proceeding  up  Wellington  Channel,  arrived  in 
latitude  75°  22'  at  Cape  Duhorn,  and  thence  ten  miles 
north-westward  to  Point  Decision.  Penny,  on  tlio  15th 
of  May,  went  from  this  point,  over  the  ice,  north-vest 
by  north,  to  an  island  wliich  ho  called  Bailie  Ifami'.- 
ton  Island.  The  ice  was  in  a  very  decayed  state  ;  and 
on  the  17th,  after  travelling  round  the  island,  first  i;>  r. 
luirth-oasterly  aiid  next  in  a  north-north-westerly  direc- 
tion, he  arrived  at  tho  open  strait,  saw  in  it  twenty-five 
miles  of  clear  water,  and  discovered  a  headland  fifteen 
miles  distant,  west  by  north,  over-canopied  by  a  dark 
sky,  which  indicated  an  expanse  of  open  water  on  tho 
further  side.  This  point  was  found  to  be  in  latitude  7(5°  2* 
and  west  longitude  95'  55'  ;  and  the  strait  received  the 
name  of  Victoria  Channel. 

Penny  hastened  back  to  the  ships  for  a  boat,  and  used 
every  exertion  to  have  one  promptly  mounted  on  sledges 
and  sent  forward  ;  but  he  did  not  get  it  up  to  tho  strait 
>vithout  vast  effort,  and  some  tantalizing  delays      But 


i 


I 


•i      ■  u 


't . 


? 


RCTURN  HOME. 


328 


•t  length  he  launched  it,  loaded  it.  and  pu«h«d  off.  He 
had  procoodod  only  ton  miloB.  when  ho  was  obliged  to 
«oek  refuge  in  a  bay  from  a  westerly  gale  and  a  t  rong 
'  oud   «oa ;    an.l   ho   afterwardn   contended   much   anS 

tlZ  7f "•"'  "'^'  ""'■•^^"^"^'"  -'"J^  -'J  rapid 
tdc«  yet  ho  Hucceeded  in  exan.ining  three  hundred 
and  ten  rn.les  of  coast,  and  did  not  desist  till  his  stock 
p  uv-ons  began  to  fail.  H,.  p„t  about  on  the  20th 
o<  July  and  made  Ins  way  to  the  ships  amid  constant 
ram  and  tempest,  insomuch  that,  iu  the  route  over  the 
ice,  he  had  to  ford  rapid  streams. 

Penny  thus  ranks  high  as  a  discoverer  ;  but  as  to  the 

Zoth         '  rf  ';'  '"  '''^""*"'-^«'  ''«  »>-'  ^"  his  labor 
for  nothing.     He  iound  not  a  trace  of  the  Erebus  and 

the  Terror  ;  yet  he  confirmed  his  convictions  that  they 

ctanneT'  "'     ^'^'"'""'""  "'"'"^''  ^"^  ^'^^  V-*-'' 

The  American  explorers  wore  prevented  from  taking 

any  part  m  the  searching  operations  of  the  spring,  by 

l.e,r  expenoncingthe  same  kind  of  involuntary  ejeclioJ^ 
from  Lancaster  Sound  which  befell  Sir  James  Ross's  ex- 
pod.tion  m  the  Enterprise  and  the  Investigator.  Their 
vessels  were  frozen  in  opposite  Wellington  Channel,  and 
were  carried  thonce  to  the  east,  slowly  and  rigidly  and 
."  stern  defiance  of  all  possible  resistance  by  man,  to  a 
point  south  of  Cape  VValsingham.  They  drifted  a 
linear  distance  of  at  least  one  thousand  and  fifty  milen 
and  sutTerod  much  from  the  commotion  of  the  ice.  and 
were  not  set  free  till  the  10th  of  June. 

Captain  Austin  seems  to  have  concurred  with  Sir  John 
Koss  ,n  the  opinion  that  the  Erebus  and  the  Terror  had 
gone  back  to  Baffin's  Bay.  After  the  failure  of  searches 
or  iurther  traces  of  them  west  and  north  of  the  mouth 
of  Wellington  Channel,  Austin  supposed  that  they 
probably  tried  to  reach  the  Polar  Sea  through  Jone.'s 


■I  ' 


330 


RETURN    HOME. 


Sound,  which  opens  off  the  north  side  of  the  upper  pari 
of  Badiu's  Bay.  He  accordingly  went  ronnd  to  thai 
phice  witli  liis  two  steamers,  and  ex[)lorcd  it.  Jle  found 
it  about  eixty  miles  wide  at  the  entrance,  —  a  widtii 
which  greatly  exceeds  that  given  it  in  the  Admiralty 
charts ;  and  lie  sailed  about  forty-five  miles  up  its 
Bouthern  shore,  and  was  there  arrested  by  a  fixed  bar- 
rier of  ice  ;  and  he  then  sailed  along  the  face  of  that 
barrier,  twenty-five  miles,  to  the  northern  shore,  and 
traced  that  shore  down  to  the  entrance.  But  he  saw 
nothing  to  indicrite  that  the  Erebus  and  the  Terror  had 
been  there  ;  and  ho  judged,  from  well-defined  appear- 
ances to  the  west,  that  the  sound  is  closed  by  land  not 
very  far  above  the  point  which  he  reached,  and  has  no 
comnuuiication  with  the  Polar  Sea.  lie  then  thought 
all  furtlier  attempts  at  exploration  either  uselet's  or 
incoiisistent  with  his  instructions,  and  set  sail  for  Eng 
land,  where  he  arrived  in  the  autumn  of  1851. 


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r H>,.-^-i  ?  '•  ^-.-^^a^ 

CHAPTER  Xl\ 

II-m'G  sketched  generally  in  the  last  chapter  the  pro- 
rcss  of  the  vessels  which  cooperated,  in  1850,  in  pros- 
ecuting the  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin  from  the  direc- 
tion of  Baffin's  Bay,  we  shall  now  take  np  each  expedi 
K.n  separately,  and  present  such  further  details  ac  may 
tend  to  add  interest  and  completeness  to  our  history  of 
tlieir  proceedings. 

Ofthe  four  vessels  comprising  the  squadron  of  Com- 
modore Austin,  and  also  of  the  Prince  Albert,  w  have 
already  related  all  that  is  important,  concluding  with 
tlu'ir  safe  return  to  England. 

Sir  John  Ross,  in  the  Feli.K  discovery  yacht,  with  her 
tender,  the  Mary,  after  obtaining  an  Esquimaux  iuter- 
["•'•ter  at  IIolsteinl.org,  and  calling  at  Whah-  Fish 
islands,  proceeded  northward  through  Waygat's  Straits 
ami  overtook  Commodore  Austin's  squadron  on  the  Uth 
of  August,  1850.  Arrangements  were  made  with  that 
olhcf.r  for  a  combined  examination  of  every  part  of  fh<> 
easlern  side  of  a  north-west  passage,  in  which  it  was 
probable  that  the  missing  ships  could  be  found.     On  the 


332 


SIR  JOHN  ROSS'S  VOYAGE. 


13th  of  August,  in  company  with  Lieut.  Cator  in  the 
Intrepid,  Ross  held  communication  with  a  party  of  Ea- 
quimaux  near  Cape  York,  who  told  him  a  story,  the 
purport  of  which,  according  to  his  interpreter,  was  that 
in  the  winter  of  1846  two  ships  were  crushed  in  the  ice 
in  the  direction  of  Cape  Dudley  Digges,  and  afterwards 
burned  by  a  fierce  tribe  of  natives  ;  and  that  their  crews, 
some   of  whom  were  described  as  wearing  epaulets, 
were  subsequently  killed  by  the   natives.      Although 
Mr,   Petersen,    the  interpreter   attached   to   the   Lady 
Franklin,  which  lay  a  few  miles  off',  wholly  discredited 
this  story,  and  gave  a  translation  of  the  Esquimaux  com- 
munication wholly  at  variance  with  the  other,  it  was 
thought  of  sufficient  consequence  by  Capt.  Austin  to 
merit  an  investigation.     Meantime  the  further  informa- 
tion was  received  that  a  ship  had  passed  the  last  winter 
safely  housed  in  Wolstenholme  Sound.     A  party,  taking 
both   intorpretors,   was   accordingly  sent    to  examine 
Wolstenholme  Sound  ;  and  by  them  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  ship  which  wintered  there  was  no  other  than 
the  North  Star,  and  tliat  in  all  probability  that  circum- 
stance  was   the   whole   foundation   of  the   Esquimaux 
Btury,  whatever  it  might  have  been.     Nevertheless,  Sir 
John  Ross,  who  was  long  ago  noted  for  "jumping  at 
conclusions,"  still  seems  to  have  had  a  lingering  belief 
that  in  this  wild  tale  he  had  learned  the  fate  of  the 
Erebus  and  Terror.     It  was  perhaps  this  belief  which 
led  him  soon  after  to  announce  his  intention  of  return- 
ing to  Eiiglantl :  and  even  after  his  arrival  there  he  is 
said  to  have  adhered  to  his  theory  that  Franklin  and  hi.s 
companions  perished  in  Baffin's  Bay.     He  pressed  on  to 
Capo  Riley,  however,  before  leaving  the  field  of  discov. 
ery,  and  bore  his  part  in  the  search  there  made  foi 
traces  of  the  missing  navigators. 
There  is  little  more  to  relate  concerning  his  expedi- 


CARRIER-PIGEONS. 


333 


tion.  The  only  results  of  which  we  have  any  account 
are  stated  by  himself  to  be  that  he  was  able  to  make 
"  many  important  corrections  and  valuable  additions  to 
the  charts  of  the  much-frequented  eastern  side  of  Baf- 
fin's Bay,  which,"  he  adds,  "has  been  more  closely  ob- 
served and  navigated  by  this  than  by  any  former  expe- 
dition  ;  and,  much  to  my  satisfaction,  confirming  the 
latitude  and  longitude  of  every  headland  I  had  the 
opportunity  of  laying  down  in  the  year  1818." 

One  interesting  incident,  however,  is  worthy  of  men- 
tion before  we  take  leave  of  Sir  John  Ross.     When  he 
left  England  on  this  expedition,  he  took  with  him  four 
carner-pigeons  belonging  to  a  lady  in  Ayrshire,  intend- 
ing to  liberate  two  of  them  when  the  state  of  the  ice 
rendered  it  ..ecessary  to  lay  his  vessel  up  for  the  winter, 
and  the  other  two  when  he  discovered  Sir  John  Frank- 
lin.    A  pigeon  made  its  appearance  at  the  dove-cot  in 
Ayrshire,  on  the  13th  of  October,  which  the  lady  recog- 
nized by  marks  and  circumstances  that  left  no  doubt  on 
her  mind  of  its  being  one  of  the  younger  pair  presented 
by  her  to  Sir  John.     It  carried  no  billet,  but  there  were 
indications,  in  the  loss  of  feathers  on  the  breast,  of  one 
having  been  torn  from  under  the  wing.     Though  it  is 
known  that  the  speed  of  pigeons  is  equal  to  one  hun- 
dred miles  an  hour,  the  distance  from  Melville  Island  to 
Ayrshire,  being,  in  a  direct  line,  about  twenty-four  hun- 
dred miles,  is  so  great,  that  evidence  of  the  bird  having 
been  sent  ofi"  as  early  as  the  10th  of  October  was  required 
before  it  could  be  believed  that  no  mistake  was  made  in 
the  identification  of  the  individual  that  came  to  the  dove- 
cot.    It  was  afterwards  ascertained  that  Sir  John  Roes 
despatched  the  youngest  pair  on  the  6th  or  Tth  of  Octo- 
ber, 1850,  in  a  basket  suspended  to  a  balloon,  during  a 
W.  N.  W.  gale.    By  the  contrivance  of  a  slow-match,  the 
birds  were  to  be  liberated  at  the  end  of  twenty-four 


a 


334        SUTHERLAND'S  SCIENTIFIC  OBSERVATIONa 

hours.  The  reader  can  form  his  own  opinion  as  to  the 
identity  of  the  pigeon  in  question. 

We  have  already  alhided  to  Captain  Penny's  expedi- 
tion, fitted  out  by  Lady  Franklin.  Ilis  little  vessels, 
tiie  Lady  Franklin  and  the  Sophia,  entered  Davis's  Strait 
on  the  26th  of  April,  1850  ;  but  they  did  not  get  into 
the  open  water  at  the  head  of  Baffin's  Bay  until  the  18th 
of  August.  Nearly  four  months  they  were  squeezed 
about  among  the  drifting  ice  in  this  tedious  and  terrible 
passage,  sometimes  closely  wedged  on  the  shore-ice, 
and  sometimes  tracking  by  manual  labor  through  the 
breaking  pack.  Some  facts  of  a  scientific  interest  are 
mentioned  by  Dr.  Sutherland,  who  accompanied  Penny. 

The  first  great  difliculty  the  Arctic  voyager  has  to 
contend  with  is  the  capricious  state  of  the  navigation 
in  the  grand  approach  to  the  Polar  Sea.  The  melting 
of  the  ice  and  rnow  in  the  north  of  Baffin's  Bay  pro- 
duces a  continuous  stream  of  water,  which  flows  stead- 
ily to  the  south.  As  soon  as  this  current  leaves  the 
projecting  points  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  a  thin  film  of 
ice  is  formed  on  it.  This  ice  gets  thicker  and  thicker 
as  it  moves  southwards,  by  congealing  new  layers  of 
sea-water  on  its  under  surface,  and  by  storing  up  snow 
and  sleet  above,  until  it  becomes  what  the  whaler  calls 
the  middle-ice  of  the  bay.  In  winter  it  extends  from 
shore  to  shore  ;  but  in  summer  it  is  separated  from  the 
Greenland  coast  by  an  open  lane  of  water,  in  conse- 
quence of  its  connection  with  the  fringe  of  land,  ice  be- 
ing dissolved  where  northerly  winds  prevail.  An  open 
space  of  water  is  always  left  by  this  southward  drift  of 
the  ice-pack  fit  the  northern  extremity  of  Baffin's  Bay; 
the  extent  of  the  space  varies,  however,-  with  the 
season.  In  winter,  it  is  diminished  by  the  shooting  out 
of  (I.  land-ice  towards  the  drift,  and  the  quickened  forra- 
atio..  of  the  y»uiig  ice  ;  in  summer,  it  is  increased  by  the 


OLAaEllS  AND   ICEBERGS. 


333 


breaking  up  of  the  land-ice,  and  the  arrest  of  the  forma- 
tion of  young  ice.     The  great  object  of  the  marinei 
bound  to  Lancaster  Sound  is  to  push  his  way  through 
the  open   lane  of  water  along  the   Greenland   coast, 
and  to  get  round  the  northern  extremity  of  the  drift 
ice.      But  he  finds  this  to   be   no   easy   task:    every 
southerly  gale  crushes  the  ice  in  upon  the  shores  of  the 
bay,  and  squeezes  any  unfortunate  vessel  chancing  to 
be  placed  therein  before  it,  often  wedging  it  up  immov- 
ably, or  even  breaking  it  to  pieces  under  the  violence 
of  the  nip.     The  only  resource  of  the  captive  voyager, 
under  such  circumstances,  is  to  seek  a  refuge  beneath 
the  lee  of  some  iuige  ice-mountain  that  has  grounded  a 
Qiile  or  two  off  the  land,  or  to  take  timely  warning,  and 
cut  docks  in  the  solid  land-fioc,  into  which  he  may  re- 
tire when  thj  pressure  comes.     The  driving  iceberg  is, 
ho\/ever,  a  fearful   neighbor,  if  the  water  prove  not 
shallow  enough  to  arrest  its  movement ;  for  it  will  then 
sometimes  pltmgh  its  onward  way  through  miles  and 
miles  of  field  and  pack  ice,  heaving  up  the  frozen  masses 
before  its  tremendous   impulse,   and   sweeping   every- 
thing away  that  opposes  its  course. 

According  to  Dr.  Sutherland,  there  is  more  chance  of 
an  easy  passage  to  the  open  water  at  the  head  of  Baf 
fin's  Bay  early  in  the  season,  before  the  shore-ice  is 
much  broken,  and  when  the  middlo-ice  moves  away 
from  it  bodily,  without  any  intervening  detritus,  than 
later  in  the  season,  when  there  is  a  greater  quantity  of 
loosened  ice  to  be  packed  into  the  channel. 

The  entire  length  of  the  Baffin's  Bay  coast  of  Green- 
land is  indented  with  bays  and  fiords,  towards  which  gla- 
ciers descend  from  the  higher  interior  land.  At  Cape 
Farewell  the  termination  of  the  glacier-ice  is  still  miles 
away  from  the  sea ;  between  Cape  Farewell  and  Cape 
Vork,  the  land,  devoid  of  the  incursions  of  glacier-ic«, 


S36 


aLACIERS  AND   ICEBERGS. 


gets  narrower  and  narrower.  North  of  Capo  York  tlio 
ice-stream  projects  into  the  sea  itself,  even  beyond  the 
line  of  prominent  headhinds.  It  is  from  this  region  that 
the  vast  icebergs,  drifted  out  into  the  open  Athmtic  by 
the  southward  current,  are  derived  ;  for  it  is  a  singuhir 
fact  that  there  is  no  glacier-ice  along  the  shores  west- 
ward of  Lancaster  Sound.  All  tlic  snow  which  there 
falls,  even  so  far  north  as  7t°  latitude,  escapes  to  the 
sea  in  streams  of  water,  carrying  with  them  vast  quan- 
tities of  mud  and  shingle.  The  land  on  both  sides  of  Bar- 
row's Strait  is  composed  of  limestone  ;  but  Greenland, 
and  the  coasts  which  form  Davis's  Strait,  Baffin's  Bay, 
and  Lancaster  Sound,  where  the  fallen  snow  is  retained 
for  ages  befire  it  slips,  ac  the  solid  glacier,  back  to  the 
ocean,  are  ali  made  of  hard  crystalline  rock.  Dr.  Suth- 
erland thinks  that  this  difference  of  mineral  constitution 
may  in  some  way  affect  the  temperature,  and  so  deter- 
mine the  abundance  of  glaciers  in  the  one  position,  and 
their  absence  in  the  other. 

Wt^  may  here  remark  that  the  ice  which  obstructs  tho 
navigation  of  the  Arctic  seas  is  of  two  kinds  :  the  ono 
produced  by  tiie  congelation  of  fresh,  and  the  other  by 
that  of  salt  water.  In  those  inhospitable  tracts,  tho 
snow,  which  annually  falls  on  the  islands  or  continents, 
being  again  dissolved  by  the  progress  of  the  summer's 
heat,  pours  forth  numerous  rills  and  limpid  streams, 
which  collect  along  the  indented  shores,  and  in  the  deep 
bays  enclosed  by  precipitous  rocks.  Tiiere  this  clear 
and  gelid  water  soon  freezes,  and  every  successive  year 
supplies  an  additional  investing  crust,  till,  after  the 
lapse,  perhaps,  of  several  centuries,  the  icy  mass  rises  at 
last  to  the  size  and  aspect  of  a  mountain,  commensurate 
with  the  elevation  of  the  adjoining  cliffs.  The  melting 
of  the  snow,  which  is  afterwards  deposited  on  such 
enormous  blocks,  likewise  contributes  to  their  growth  , 


GLAaERS  AND  ICEBERGS. 


337 


and,  by  filling  up  the  accidental  holes  or  crevices,  it 
renders  the  whole  structure  compact  and  uniform. 
Meanwhile  the  principle  of  destructicjn  has  already  be- 
gun its  operations.  The  ceaseless  agitation  of  the  sea 
gradually  wears  and  undermines  the  base  of  the  icy 
mountain,  till  at  length,  by  the  action  of  its  own  accu- 
mulated weight,  when  it  has  perhaps  attained  an  alti- 
tude  of  a  thousand  or  even  two  thousand  feet,  it  is  torn 
from  its  frozen  chains,  and  precipitated,  with  a  tremen- 
dous plunge,  ir.to  the  abyss  below.  This  mighty  launch 
now  floats  like  a  lofty  island  on  the  ocean  ;  till,  driven 
southwards  by  winds  and  currents,  it  insensibly  wastes 
and  dissolves  away  in  the  wide  Atlantic.  Icebergs  have 
been  known  to  drift  from  Baffin's  Bay  to  the  Azores. 

Such  is  believed  to  be  the  real  orig-in  of  the  icy 
mountains  or  icebergs,  entirely  similar  in  their  formacion 
to  the  glaciers  which  occur  on  the  flanks  of  the  Alps  and 
the  Pyrenees.  They  consist  of  a  clear,  compact,  and 
solid  ice,  having  the  fine  green  tint,  verging  to  blue,  which 
ice  or  water,  when  very  pure  anc.  of  a  sufficient  depth, 
generally  assumes.  From  the  cavities  of  these  icebergs 
the  crews  of  the  northern  whalers  are  accustomed,  by 
means  of  a  hose  or  flexible  tube  of  canvas,  to  fill  their 
casks  easily  with  the  finest  and  softest  water. 

The  projecting  tongues  of  the  glaciers  are  not  dis- 
solved where  they  extend  into  the  sea,  but  broken  off 
by  a  species  of  "flotation."  Heavy  spring-tides  are 
driven  into  the  head  of  the  bay,  and  up  the  fiords,  by 
strong  southerly  winds  ;  and  the  buoyant  ice  is  heaved 
up  by  the  rising  water,  and  broken  off  from  its  parent 
stream.  The  floating  power  of  large  masses  of  ice  must 
ue  enormous.  Dr.  Sutherland  observed  upon  a  small 
island,  at  an  elevation  of  forty  feet,  a  block  of  granite 
that  measured  sixteen  feet  in  length,  and  must  have 
contained  at  least  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  tons  0/ 
32 


338 


GLACIERS  AND  ICEBERQS. 


BoliJ  rock  !  Ilo  calculated  that  a  cube  of  ice,  forty  feet 
across  the  side,  could  easily  have  curried  ofl'  this  burden 
in  water  seven  fathoms  deep.  Icebergs  thus  broken  off 
from  the  parent  glacier  were  often  observed  tumbling 
about  in  the  sea.  Some  of  these  were  four  times  bigger 
than  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  and  shrouded  themselves  in 
a  veil  of  spray  as  they  rolled  over,  emitting  sounds  that 
could  only  bo  compared  to  terriflc  thunder-peals,  and 
turning  up  the  blue  mud  from  depths  of  two  and  three 
hundred  fathoms.  Oscillations  in  the  sea  were  pro- 
duced by  such  disturbances,  which,  after  travelling  a 
dozen  miles,  pounded  into  fragments  the  ice-field  on 
which  they  ultimately  fell. 

While  icebergs  are  the  slow  growth  of  ages,  the 
fields  or  shoals  of  saline  ice  are  annually  formed  and 
destroyed.  The  ice  generated  from  melted  snow  is 
hard,  pellucid,  and  often  swells  to  an  enormous  height 
and  dimensions.  But  the  concretion  of  salt  water  wants 
solidity,  clearness,  and  strength,  and  never  attains  to 
any  very  considerable  thickness.  It  seldom  floats  dur- 
ing more  than  part  of  the  year  ;  though,  in  some  cold 
seasons,  the  scattered  fragments  may  be  surprised  by 
the  early  frost,  and  preserved  till  the  following  summer. 

Captain  Penny's  expedition  reached  the  entrance  of 
Wellington  Channel  on  tiie  25th  of  August.  On  tho 
1  ith  of  September  young  ice  formed  round  the  ships ; 
and  they  were  compelled  to  take  up  their  winter  quar- 
ters in  Assistance  Bay,  near  the  south-west  point  of 
Wellington  Channel.  Captain  Austin's  squadron,  of 
four  ships,  was  fi.xed  on  Griffitir  Island,  a  few  miles 
further  west.  November  7th,  the  sun  was  beneath  tha 
horizon  at  noon,  the  thermometer  was  seven  degrees 
below  zero,  and  the  sea-ice  three  feet  thick.  January 
13th,  mercury  froze  for  the  first  time.  At  the  end  of 
January  the  ice   was  five  feet  thick.     The  sun  ro«« 


If 'I 


il  M 


'I 


'■f 


338 


Or.ACfFRS  AND  ICliBKRQS. 


•oliii  rock  !  lie  calcul.ited  that  a  cube  of  ice,  forty  foet 
acro88  the  side,  could  easily  have  carried  off  thiu  *>urdea 
in  water  seven  fathoma  deep.  Icebergs  tli.ia  broAcn  off 
from  tijc  parent  glacier  were  often  ebserved  tumbling 
about  in  the  Bca.  Some  of  these  were  four  times  bigger 
than  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  and  (•hroudod  themselves  in 
a  veil  of  spray  as  they  rolled  over,  emitting  sounds  that 
could  only  be  compared  to  terrilic  thunder-peals,  and 
turning  up  the  blue  mud  from  depths  of  two  and  three 
hundred  fathoms.  Oscillations  in  the  sea  wore  pro- 
duced by  such  disturbances,  which,  after  travelling  a 
dozen  miles,  pounded  into  fragments  the  ice-lield  on 
wliich  tliey  ultimately  fell. 

While  icebergs   are   the   slow  growth  of  ageS;  the 
fields  or  shoals  of  saline  ice  are  annually  formed  and 
destroyed.     The   ice   generated  from   melted   snow   ia 
hard,  pellucid,  and  often  swells  to  an  enormous  height 
and  dimensions.     But  the  concretion  of  salt  water  wants 
solidity,  clearness,  and  strength,  and  never  attains  to 
any  very  considerable  thickness.     It  seldom  floats  dur- 
ing more  than  part  of  the  year  ;  though,  in  some  cold 
seasons,  the  scattered  fragments  may  be  surprised  by 
the  early  frost,  and  preserved  till  the  following  summer. 
Captain  Penny's  expedition   reached  the  entrance  of 
Wellington  Channel  on  the  25th  of  AugUNt.     On  the 
1  ith  of  September  young  ice  formed  round  the  ships ; 
and  they  were  compelled  to  take  up   their  winter  quar- 
ters in  Assistance  Bay,  near  the  south-west  point  of 
Wellington    Channel.     Captain    Austin's    squadron,   of 
four  ships,  was  fixed  on  Griffith's  Island,  a  few  miles 
further  west.     November  7th,  the  sun  was  beneath  the 
horizon  at  noon,   the  thermometer  was  seven  degreea 
below  zero,  and  the  sea-ice  three  feet  thick.     January 
13th,  mercury  froze  for  the  first  time.     At  the  end  of 
January  the  ice    was  five   feet  thick.     The  sun   ro«e 


i^ 


WLMiiR  CLIMATH 


941 


•bovo   the   «outhor.,    horizon  fur  an  i„«tant  at   n^on 
February  7rt..      February  2.Uh  wuh  the   coMcBt  Zy 

,■    Trr'-"  '""''*"*^  '"'>'-«^'''  •^'---^^  bolow  zero 
ApMl  Jd   the  ICO  wu«  Hovon  feet  thick.    Jn  the  beginuiug 

o  My  ,t  attained  it.  maximum  thicknosn  of  «even  U^H 

"»o  .nchee.     June  12th,  the  thormometor  ro«o  to  55- 

'■«  l.-Khent  po.nt  of  th«  season.     Two  days  after  the 

-     ruin   fell.     At  the  end  of  Juno  smalf Ht:;ams 

water  began  to  iiow  IVom  the  land.     A  t  the  end  of  .July 

the  sea-.ce  was  dinunishe,!  to  a  thickness  uffbur  ii-ot  by 

.0  mel. ng  of  the  upper  surface.    August  8th,  the  bay' 

«co   broke     up,    and   set   the   shipn   free,    after  elevc-n 

months'  c  one  detention.      Fo.r  day«   afterwards,  the 

young  ICO  began  again  to  form  on  the  sea  at  night 

ll..o.:fj..out  this  winter  of  intense  cold,  the  tempera- 

<•"  •  of  the  sea  remained  nearly  uniform.     It  never  sank 

HO  low  as  twenty-nine  degrees.     A  hole  was  kept  open 

t  u-ough  the   ,ce.  near  the  ships,   for  the   purpose  of 

observjng  the   water,   as   well  as  fbr  noticing    he  rise 

and  fall  of  the  tides.     The  ice  invariably  increased  i 

thickness  by  additions  to  its  lower  surface.     As  the 

«oa-water  froze    a  considerable  portion  of  its  salt  was 

separated  from  ,t,  and  blown  along  the  surface  of  the 

'oe,  nn.vmg  w.th  the  frenh-fallen  snow  as  it  went.     On 

this   account  snow-wreaths   could   never   be   used   fo. 

■nelting  u.to  water;  the  snow  on  the  land  often  con 

turned    races  of  salt,   miles  away  from  the  sea.     The 

sea-.ce  hardly  ever  contained  more  than  one  quarter  the 

quant.ty  of  salt  found  in  an  equal  volume  of 'ea-wlter 

rhe  uitenor  of  the  ships  was  warn.ed  to  between 

My    and   fifty   degrees.     This   was   found  to  be  the 

..ffhcs   h„nt  of  safety  ;  in  it,  the  hoar-frost  was  never 

thawed  in  the  bods  :   the  blankets  and  night-caps  of  the 

nlirr  ^   I'^T'   ---eniently'to   th'e  l^' 
pUnks.     With  a  higher  temperature,  the  vapor  of  the 


mmmi 


I     '    . 


<fi 


842 


WINTER  CLIMATE. 


interior  of  the  ships  was  deposited  in  the  beds  as  moist 
ure  instead  of  ice,  and  then  rheumatic  attacks  were 
troublesome  among  the  crew.  With  this  range,  the 
difl'erence  of  heat  experienced  on  going  into  the  open 
air  often  amounted  to  one  hundred  degrees. 

Much  less  food  was  consumed  during  the  winter's 
rest  than  during  the  labors  of  summer.  On  this  ac- 
count, the  provisions  were  served  out  without  weighing, 
and  considerable  weok'y  savings  were  efl'ected.  The 
men  took  instinctively  just  what  nourishment  th3  waste 
of  their  bodies  required. 

A  vast  abundance  of  the  lower  forms  of  life  w.-.s  fcand 
everywhere  in  the  inclement  region  in  which  the  ships 
sojourned.  Small  cavities,  from  two  to  six  feet  deep, 
studded  the  under  surfoce  of  the  sea-ice.  A  greenish, 
slimy  substance,  composed  of  animalcules  and  micro- 
scopic plants,  was  found  in  these.  The  cavities,  in 
fact,  had  been  hollowed  out  by  the  higher  temperature 
attendant  upon  the  vital  action  going  on  in  these  n\'nute 
creatures.  The  most  intense  cold  seemed  to  have  the 
power  of  destroying  some  kinds  of  lifo-germs.  Mity 
cheese,  that  had  been  exposed  Ihrougliont  the  winter, 
never  again  manifested  any  return  of  crawWng  propen- 
sity. 

The  influence  of  solar  light  was  exceedinglj'  small 
during  the  depth  of  winter.  A  little  trace  of  daylight 
was  always  perceptible  at  noon;  but  for  seven  days 
before  and  after  the  22d  of  December,  chloride  of  silver 
was  not  blackened  by  exposure  to  the  south  horizon. 
On  the  1st  of  January  it  began  to  assume  a  slight  leaden 
tinge,  Mustard  and  cresses  were  reared  with  great 
care ;  but  the  young  plants  were  composed  of  ninety- 
four  per  cent,  of  water,  and  contained  only  half  the 
quantity  of  nutritious  and  antiscorbutic  ir.iitters  thai 
•lad  been  present  in  the  seeds. 


ESQUIMAUX  LOOa 


343 


The  men  ^ere  kept  amused  during  the  winter  by  the- 
Rtncal  rcpresontatious,  balls,  and  masquerades,  after 
Captain  Parry's  cxan-.ple  ;  but  the  schools  and  libraries 
were  the  most  valuable  auxiliaries  in  preventing  ennui 
(.eoo-raph.cal  studies  were  especially  popular.  After 
tlie  niglitly  lessons,  it  was  often  necessary  to  settle 
lorccastle  disputes  as  to  the  insular  character  of  Cape 
Horn,  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  of  the  Chinese,  and  the 
Identity  of  the  crocodiles  of  the  Nile  with  the  alligators 
ot  the  Mississippi. 

Far  from  the  least  interesting  members  of  this  Arctic 
community  were  a  kennel  of  Esquimaux  dogs,  that  had 
been  established  in  a  snow-hut  near  the  ships      The 
tour  oldest  had  accompanied  Mr.  Petersen,  the  Danish 
interpreter,  from   Greenland.     But  these   had   thriven 
and  multiplied  amid  the  congenial  scenes  of  ice  and 
snow  80  that  complete  teams  for  two  sledges  could  be 
furnished  out  in  spring.     Thoy  were   great   favorites 
among  the  seamen,  and  flocked  eagerly  round  the  first 
person  who  emerged  from  the  snow-covered  ships  in 
the  morning.     They  were,  nevertheless,  of  hio-ldy  jeal- 
ous  temperament:  for,  if  one  of  them  chanced  t°o  receive 
more  notice  than  his  companions,  the  lucky  fellow  was 
forthwith  attacked  by  the  rest  of  the  pack      This  so 
constantly  occurred,   that  some  of  the  cunning  young 
dogs  became  afraid  of  the  men's  caresses,  and  ran  awut 
the   moment  any  marked   demonstrations  of  kindne.'s 
were  directed  towards  them. 

In  many  points,  amusing  instances  of  the  adaptation 
of  canine  instinct  to  the  necessities  of  Arctic  life  were 
d.splayed  In  line,  sunny  weather,  the  dogs  satisfied 
their  hirst  by  lapping  the  surface  snow;  but  in  colder 
periods  ol  the  season  they  burrowed  some  inches  down 
^r  Uie.r  supply  of  frozen  water.  In  extremely  severo 
mvither,  they  constantly  coiled  themselves  closely  ,p 


m 


344 


ESQUIMAUX  DOGS. 


and  covered  their  noses  with  the  shagp^y  fur  of  their 
tails.  At  these  times,  they  never  rose  even  to  shake 
off  the  accumulating  wreaths  of  falling  snow  ;  if  their 
masters  called  them,  they  answered  by  turning  their 
eyes,  but  without  removing  their  natural  respirators 
from  their  nostrils,  and  no  demonstration,  short  .f  a 
determined  kick,  could  make  them  shift  their  quarte.s  ; 
but,  at  other  times,  they  lay  stretched  out  at  full  length, 
and  were  on  their  legs  in  obedience  to  the  first  tone  of 
a  familiar  voice. 

The   young  dogs   had   to   learn   some  painful  expe- 
riences.    Tlie  first  time  they  were  taken  to  the  open 
water,   they  mistook  it  for  ice,  coolly  walked  into  it, 
and  were  nearly  drowned.     One  poor  fellow  undertook 
to  lick  a  tempting  morsel  of  fat  from  an  iron  shovel, 
when,  greatly  to  his  surprise,  tlie  cold  metal  stuck  fast 
to  his  tongue,  and  he  dragged  the  shovel  along  fur  some 
distance,  at  last  only  extricating  himself  from  it  by  a 
strong  efiurt,  and  at  the  expense  of  leaving  some  inches 
of   mucous  membrane   behind  him.       Wlien   the    dogs 
were  employed  in  sledging-work,  it  was  no  uncommon 
thing  for  them  to  start  ofl'  with  ihcir  loads  in  full  pur- 
suit of  bears.     In  the  spring,  two   carrier-pigeons  were 
despatched  in  the  car  of  a  small  balloon.      The  balloon 
fell  upon  the  ice,  while  still  in  sight,  and  draggec  along 
for  some  distance.    An  object  that  was  so  full  of  interest 
to  their  masters  could  not,  by  any  means,  be  slin'htcd 
by  the  dogs  ;  in  a  moment  they  were  all  off  affcr  it,  the 
men  following  them  pell-mell  to  save  the  pigeons.     The 
four-footed  animals  had  by  far  the  best  of  the  race;  :  but 
the  balloon,  fortunately  f  )r  its  freight,  cleared  the  edge 
of  the  ice  just  as  they  came  up  with  it.      When  the  ice 
around  the   ships  broke  up,   the  dogs   understood  the 
indication,  and  galloped  about  in  mad  joy,  leaping  from 
piece   to   pitjce,   and  whining  restlessly,  or  swimming 


mmasiimSssiitmm*^,iM..-jL.- 


USE  OF  SNOW. 


34d 


round  the  sl.ip  until  they  were  picked  up  and  established 
upon  tlie  (Jocks. 

The  Esquimaux  dog  is  described  as  resembling  in 
form  th,.  shepherd's  dog,  rising  to  the  height  of  the 
Newfonndland,  but  broad  like  the  mastiff;  ha^nng  short 
pricked  ears,  a  furry  eoat,  and  a  bushy  tail.    lu  general 

vo?f  '"V'.^'''''-^''  ^'''  "  '^''•""^  resemblance  to  the 
wolf,  and  the  opin.on  is  even  prevalent  that  the  former 
exhibit  only  the  latter  in  a  tamed  state  ;  but  the  avidity 
wi  h  which  the  wolf  devours  his  supposed  brethren  does 
not   seem   quite    consistent   with    so   close  an  afl],ity 
Frequent  beatings  arc  necessary  to  train  these  dogs  for 
acting  as  a  regular  team.     But  their  greatest  suiTerings 
respect  the  want  of  food.     Captain  Parry  saw  one  which 
ate  a  large  piece  of  canvas,  a  cotton  handkerchief  laid 
out  to  dry,  and  a  piece  of  a  linen  shirt.     When  these 
animals  are  yoked   in  the  sledge,  a  whip  of  twenty  feet 
ongenorces  obedience;  while  peculiar  cries  indicate 
the  right  or  left,  to  turn,  or  to  stop. 
_    A  singular  fact  is  related  in  Dr.  Sutherland's  icuirnal 
n.  regard  to  the  nse  of  snow  for  allaying  thirst :  "The 
use  of  snow  when   persons  are   thirsty  does  not  by  any 
means  allay  the  insatiable  desire  for  water  ;  on  the  coiJ- 
trary.it  appears  to   bo  im-roased   in  proportion  to  the 
quantity  used,  and   the  f.vquency  with  which  it  is  put 
into  the  mouth.     For  example  :  a  person  walking  along 
feels  inten.soly   thirsty,   a„d   ho  looks  to  his  feet  with 
coveting  eyos  ;  but  his  sense  and    firm  rr.s(,luti(,ns   are 
not  to   be  overcome  so   easily,  and  ho  withdraws  tl  o 
open  hand  that  was  to  grasp  the  delicious  morsel  and 
convey   it  into   his   parching  mouth.     Tie   has   several 
miles  of  a  journoy  to  accomplish,  and  his  thirst  is  .  very 
moment  increasing  :    he   is    perspiring    profusely,   and 
teels  quit,-  hot  and  oppressed.    At  leno-fh   l.is  good  res- 
ohitions  stagger,  and   he  partakes  of  the  smallest   par 


:-^ 


346 


FIRST  GRINNELL  EXPEDITION 


tide,  which  produces  a  most  exhilarating  effect ;  in  leas 
than  ten  minutes  he  tastes  again  and  again,  always 
increasing  the  quantity  ;  and  in  half  an  hour  he  has  a 
gum-stick  of  condensed  snow,  which  he  masticates  with 
avidity,  and  replaces  with  assiduity  the  moment  that  it 
has  melted  away.  But  his  thirst  is  not  allayed  in  the 
shghtest  degree ;  he  is  as  hot  as  ever,  and  still  per- 
spires ;  his  mouth  is  in  6ames,  and  he  is  driven  to  the 
necessity  of  quenching  them  with  snow,  which  adds 
fuel  to  the  fire.  The  melting  snow  ceases  to  please  t'le 
palate,  and  it  feels  like  red-hot  coals,  which,  like  a  fire- 
cater,  he  shifts  about  with  his  tongue,  and  swallows 
witiioufc  the  addition  of  saliva.  lie  is  in  despair;  but 
habit  has  taken  the  place  of  his  reasoning  faculties,  and 
he  moves  on  with  languid  steps,  lamenting  the  severe 
fate  which  forces  him  to  persist  in  a  practice  which  in 
an  unguarded  moment  ho  allowed  to  begin.     .     .  I 

believe  tne  true  cause  of  such  intense  thirst  is  the  ex- 
treme dryness  of  the  air  when  the  temperature  is  low." 

The  result  of  Captain  Penny's  labors,  so  far  as  explor- 
ation is  concerned,  is  already  known.  Slodg'ing  parties 
went  out  in  the  spring.  A  large  whaling-boat  was 
dragged  bodily  up  Wellington  Channel,  and  launched 
in  the  clear  water  beyond  the  ice-barrier.  Two  thou- 
sand miles  were  travelled  over,  seven  hundred  and  ten 
of  which  were  in  districts  seen  for  the  first  time  by  human 
eyes.  No  further  traces  of  the  mis;>iMg  expedition  wer?, 
however,  found.  The  Lady  Franklin  and  Sophia  loft 
Assistance  Bay,  homeward  bound,  on  the  l'2tli  of  Au- 
gust ;  five  weeks  afterwards,  they  wore  in  the  Tliames. 

We  have  seen  that  Mr.  Grinnell's  expedition  was 
undertaken  with  two  small  brigs —  the  a  Jvance  and  the 
Rescue.  The  Advance  was  intended  originally  for  <.ar- 
rying  heavy  castings  from  an  iron  fouiulery.  Both  vcs- 
nels   were   strengtliened   with   great   skill  and  at  large 


nRST  GRINNELL  EXPEDITION. 


3-17 


expense  for  tl.c  Arctic  service.  The  vos.seIs  we,e 
pUced  under  tl.o  command  of  Lieut.  De  Haven  JU, 
officers  consisted  of  Mr.  Murdoch,  «.ilin^.-,„aster ;  D- 
!<-  K.  Kane,  surgeon  and  naturalist ;  an.!  .^fr.  Lovell 
midshipman.  The  Advance  had  a  crew  of  twelve  meii 
when  she  sailed  ;  but  two  of  them  complaining  of  eick- 
ness,  and  expressing  a  desire  to  return  home,  were  left 
at  the  Danish  settlement  at  Disco  Island,  on  the  coast 
ot  Greenland. 

The  expedition  passed  the  eastern  extremity  of  New- 
foundland, June  3d,  1850,  ten  days  after  leaving  Sandy 
llook,  and  then  sailed  cast-north-east,  directly  for  Cape 
Comfort,  on  the  coast  of  Greenland.  The  weather  was 
generally  fine  ;  and  only  a  single  accident  occurred  on 
the  voyage  to  that  country  of  frost  and  snow  Off  the 
coast  of  Labrador  ;;  .y  met  an  iceberg  making  its  way 
toward  the  tropics.  The  night  was  very  dark  ;  and  the 
Advance,  going  at  the  rate  of  seven  or  eight  knots  an 
lour,  ran  against  the  huge  voyager,  and  lost  her  fib 
boom.  •' 

The  voyagers  did   not  land  at  Cape  Comfort,  but 

urn.ng  northward,  sailed  along  the  south-west  coast  of 

Greenland,  sometimes  in  an  open  sea,  and  sometimes  in 

.0  mulst  of  broad  acres  of  broken  ice  (particularly  in 

Davis  8  btraits),  as  far  as   Whale   Lsland.     From  this 

place  a  boat,  with   two   officers  an.i   four  sean.en,  was 

sent  to  Disco   Island,  a  distance  of  about  twentv-six 

n'.l.'s,   to  a  Dar.ish   settlement  there,  to  procure  'skin 

clothing  and  other  articles  necessary  for  use  durino-  the 

ngors  of  a  polar  winter.     The  officers  were  entertained 

at  the  government  house,  while  the  seamen  were  cm- 

urtably  lodgcl   with    the   Esquimaux,   sleeping  in  Im- 

I'^^.js  at  night.     Tlu.y  returned  to  the  ship  the  following 

«luy,    and   tj  >    expedition    proceeded   on    its    voya^^c 

\Mien   pjuis.  g-  ihe  little  Danish  settlement   of   Uper- 


fip.     hhr/  ' 


m 


348 


FIRST   GUINNELL  1;XI>ED1T1«)N. 


navik,  tlicy  woro  boardcHl  by  natives  for  the  first  t'liic. 
Tlioy  were  out  in  government  wlialo-boiits,  hunting'  for 
(lucks  and  seals.  These  hardy  chihlren  of  the  Arctic 
Circle  were  not  shy,  for  through  the  Danes,  the  English 
v,-halers,  and  govtrnment  expeditions,  they  had  become 
acciuainled  with  nien  of  other  latitudes. 

When  the  expedition  reached  Melville  Bay,  which, 
on  account  of  its  fearful  character,  is  also  called  the 
Devil's  Nip,  the  voyagers  began  to  witness  more  of  the 
grandeur  and  perils  of  Arctic  scenes.  Icebergs  of  all 
dimensions  came  licaring  down  from  the  polar  seas  like 
vast  squadrons,  and  tlie  roar  of  their  rending  came 
over  the  waters  like  the  booming  of  the  heavy  broad- 
sides of  contending  navies.  They  also  encountered 
Mnmense  floes,  with  oidy  narrow  channels  between : 
and  at  time.-,  their  situation  was  exceedingly  perilous. 

On  one  occasion,  afte*  heaving  through  fields  of  ice 
for  Cwe  consecutive  weeks,  two  immense  floes,  between 
which  they  were  making  their  way,  gradually  approached 
each  other ;  and  for  several  hours  they  expected  their 
iiuy  vessels  —  tiny  when  compared  witli  the  mi.;-hly 
■  Je'  ■.  aroiind  them  —  would  be  cruslied.  An  immense 
c  /''  "ice,  six  or  eiglit  feet  thick,  slid  under  the  Rescue, 
H';ii,^  her  almost  "  high  and  dry,"  and  careening  h(;r 
partially  upim  her  beam  ends.  By  m<^ans  of  ice-anchors 
(large  iron  iiooks)  they  kept  her  from  capsizing.  In 
this  position  they  remained  about  sixty  hours,  when, 
with  saws  and  a.\es,  they  succeeded  in  relieving  her. 
The  ice  now  opened  a  little,  and  tliey  finally  warped 
through  into  clear  water.  While  they  wore  thus  con 
fined,  polar  bears  cain(>  around  them  in  abundance, 
greedy  for  prey,  and  the  seamen  indulged  a  little  in  the 
perilous  sports  of  the  chase. 

Tlie  open  sea  continued  but  a  short  time,  Avhen  the} 
again  became  ent;ingled   among  bergs,  floes,  and  hum 


"»£&. 


rtfSm'w^Si^^w% 


FIRST  GtUNNELL  EXPEDITION. 


349 

mncks,  and  encountered  the  most  fearful  perils      Snmo 

umcs  to  Hoes  a..d  to  masses  of  hummock.     On  one  of 

of  almost  thirty  feet.     Fortunately  tho^.'.^ 

o.ont.e  case,  d.  not  close  u;t^;.:;;:,Z:::\.^^^^ 
and  the  poor  cook  was  hauled  on  board  more  dead  thl 
al'vo,    from   excessive   fright.     It   was   i       his    '.^^ 
region   that  they  first  encountered  pack-ice   .,..  .t 
ti.^wereloekedin.omthenhtoS;e2^^^^^ 

jauit  1  unco  Albert,  under  Captain  P^rsvth    -m,!    t, 
fe-ther  the  three  vessels  were  anchored.  I  fr  aw      .  to 
an  nnmonse  field  of  ice,  in  sight  of  the  D;vi;;i^i  : 
l"ffl»,    ocl-y  peak,  situated   in  latitude  W  2'>'  ':. 

now  about  thirty  n.iles  distant,  and,  with  fhe'dark  1  lU 
a  jacent    presented   a  strange   aspect  wheal    t 
white  and  "-littenno.      ti  i        ,        "ucit,   au   was 

of  rock   w."     r    ^-       ,  "  ^"""^  "'"^  *''^' '""«  '"•«  »''»««"« 
^^  nle  the  Pnnce  Albert  essayed  to  make  a  more  vo    ' 

^-t.    o  u,c:on„o.tre.     They  soon  discovered  the  men  to 


vm'  ' 


6*50 


FIllST  GRINXELL  EXrEDITION. 


be  Esquiriiiuix,  wlio,  by  sigiiB,  professed  gi\'iit  I'rioml- 
slifp,  and  (.'iidoiivored  to  got  the  voyagers  to  accompany 
tliein  to  tlieir  homes  beyond  the  bills.  Tlicy  declined  ; 
and,  as  soon  as  they  returned  to  the  vessel,  the  expedi- 
tion again  pushed  forward,  and  made  its  way  to  Cape 
Dudley  Diggcs,  which  they  reached  on  the  7th  of 
August. 

At  Cape  Dudley  Digges  they  sighted  the  Crimson 
CiilTs,  a  name  suggested  by  the  patches  of  red  snow, 
which  in  the  distance  impart  a  rose-hue  color  to  the 
acclivities.  These  lofty  cliff's  are  of  dark  brown  stone. 
It  was  a  magnificent  sight,  in  that  cold  region,  to  see 
such  an  aj)parently  warm  object  standing  out  in  bold 
relief  against  the  dark  blue  back-ground  Ok'  v  polar  sky. 
This  was  the  most  northern  point  to  which  the  expedi- 
tion penetrated.  The  whole  coast  which  they  had 
passed  from  Disco  to  this  cape  is  high,  rugged,  and 
barren,  only  some  of  the  low  points,  stretching  into  the 
sea,  bearing  a  species  of  dwarf  fir.  North-east  from  the 
cape  rise  the  Arctic  Highlands,  to  an  unknown  altitude  ; 
and,  stretching  away  northwarvl,  was  the  then  unex- 
plored Smith's  Sound,  filled  with  impenetrable  ice. 

From  Cape  Dudley  Digges,  the  Advance  and  Rescue, 
beating  against  wind  and  tide  in  the  midst  of  the  ice- 
lieMs,  made  Wolstenholme  Sound,  and  then,  changing 
their  course  to  the  south-west,  emerged  from  the  fields 
into  the  open  waters  of  Lancaster  Sound.  Here,  on  the 
]Sth  of  August,  1850,  they  encountered  a  tremendous 
gale,  which  lasted  about  twenty-four  hours.  The  two 
vessels  parted  company  during  the  storm,  and  remained 
separate  several  days.  Across  Lancaster  Sound,  the 
Advance  made  her  way  to  Harrow's  Straits,  and  on  the 
2'2d  discovered  the  I'vince  Albert  on  the  southciii  shore 
of  the  straits,  near  Leopold  Island,  a  mass  of  lofty,  pre 
cipituus  rocks,  dark  and  barren,  and  hooded  and  draped 


MRST  QRINNELL  EXPEDITION 


361 


with  snow.  The  weather  was  fine,  and  soon  the  officorg 
and  crows  of  the  two  vessels  met  in  friendly  greeting. 
Those  of  the  Prince  Albert  were  much  astonished  at  the 
encounter.  They  had  left  the  Americans  in  Melville 
Bay  on  the  Cth,  pressing  northward  through  the  pack ; 
and  could  not  conceive  how  they  so  soon  and  safely 
penetrated  it,  when  the  Prince,  though  towed  by  a 
steamer,  had  made  such  poor  progress.  Captain  For- 
syth had  attempted  to  reach  a  particular  point,  where 
he  intended  to  remain  through  the  winter;  but,  finding 
the  passage  thereto  completely  blocked  up  with  ice  he 
had  resolved,  on  the  very  day  when  the  Americans 
appeared,  to  return  home. 

The  two  vessels  remained  together  a  day  or  two, 
when  they  parted  company,  the  Prince  Albert  to  return 
to  England,  and  the  Advance  to  make  further  explora- 
tions.    Off  Leopold  Ishind,  on  the  23d  of  August,  the 
Advance  took  the  lead  through  the  vast  masses  of  float- 
ing ice.     "  The  way  was  before  them,"  says  Mr.  Sno«  , 
of  the  Prince  Albert,  who  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the 
Advance ;  "  the  stream  of  ice  had  to  be  either  gone 
through  boldly,  or  a  long  detour  made  ;  and,  despite  the 
heaviness  of  the  stream,  they  pushed  the  vessel  through 
in  her  proper  course.     Two  or  three  shocks,  as  she  came 
in  contact  with  some  large  pieces,  were  unheeded  ;  and 
the  moment  the  last  block  was  past  the  bow,  the  officer 
Bang  out,  '  So  !  steady  as  she  goes  on  her  course  ;  '  and 
came  aft  as  if  nothing  more  than  ordinary  sailing  had 
boon  going  on.     I  observed  our  own  little  bark  nobly 
M!:)^nng  in  the  American's  wake  :  and,  as  I  afterward 
ky.med,  she  got  through  it  pretty  well,  though  not  with- 
out much  doubt  of  the  propriety  of  keeping  on  in  such 
piocedure  :.fter  the  '  mad  Yankee,'  as  he  was  called  by 
c  ir  mate," 

FromI^.,^^U  Island  the  Advance  proceeded  to  the 


.^0jy^ 


352 


FIRST  GRINNELL  EXPEDITION. 


4r» 


north-west  and  on  tho  25th  reachod  Ciipe  Riley,  anuthoj 
amorphous  n)asH,  not  bo  regular  and  precipitate  as 
Leopold  Iriland,  biit  more  lolty.  Hero  a  strong  tide, 
setting  in  to  the  Hhore,  drilted  tho  Advance  toward  the 
heach,  where  she  stranded.  Around  hor  were  small 
I'orgs  and  large  masses  of  floating  ice,  all  under  tho 
inllneiice  of  the  strong  current.  It  was  aliout  two 
o'clock  in  tho  afternoon  when  she  struck,  iiy  diligent 
labor  in  removing  everything  from  her  dock  to  a  small 
tloe,  she  was  so  lightened,  that  at  four  o'clock  the  next 
morning  she  floated,  and  soon  everything  was  properly 
replaced. 

Near  Cape  Kiley  the  Americans  fell  in  with  a  portion 
of  an  English  expedition  ;  and  there  also  the  Rescue, 
left  behind  in  the  gale  in  Lancaster  Sound,  overtook  the 
•Advance.  There  was  Cuplain  Penny,  willi  the  Sophia 
and  Lady  Franklin  ;  tho  veteran  Sir  Jolin  Ross,  with 
the  Felix,  and  Conirnodon!  Austin,  with  his  flag-ship 
the  Resolute.  Tog-ther  the  navigators  of  bnth  nation,} 
o.xplored  the  coast  at  and  near  Cape  Riley,  and  on  tho 
27th  they  saw  in  a  cove  on  the  shore  of  Reechey  Island, 
or  Beechey  Capo,  on  tho  east  side  of  the  entrajico  to 
Wellington  Channel,  unmistakable  evidence  that  Sir 
John  Franklin  and  his  companions  were  there  in  April, 
1846.  There  they  found  the  articles  known  to  belong 
to  Franklin's  ships,  as  described  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter. They  also  visited  the  graves,  tho  inscriptions  on 
which  we  have  already  given. 

How  much  later  than  April  3d  (tho  date  upon  one  of 
the  heail-boards)  Franklin  remained  at  Beechey,  cannot 
bo  (letern)ined.  There  were  evidences  of  liis  having 
gone  northward,  for  sledge-tracks  in  that  direction  wcr'» 
visible.  It  was  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Kar.e  that,  on  tho 
breaking  up  of  the  ice  in  the  spring,  Sir  John  Franklin 
passed  noithward  vrith  his  ships  through  Weirngion 


iy 


FIRST  GRLNNKLL  EXl'JJDITION. 


863 


Chani.ol  into  tlio  grtvit  polar  basin,  anj  that  ho  diil  not 
rotiini.  This,  too,  was  tlio  opinion  of  Captain  Penny 
who  zcalouHly  urged  the  Uritinli  government  to  Bend  a 
[...worful  screw  steamer  to  pass  through  that  channo. 
and  explore  the  coasts  beyond. 

iving   Beechey    Capo,    the    American    expedition 
forced  its  way  tlirongh  the  ice  to  Harlow's  Inlet,  where 
they  narrowly  escaped  being  frozen  in  for  the  winter 
They  endeavored  to  enter  the  inlet,  for  tho  purpose  of 


ADVANCE  AND   RESCUE   IM   IlARI.uw's    I.VI.IT. 


making  it  their  winter  ciuarters,  but  were  prevented  by 
the  mass  of  pack-ice  at  its  entrance. 

It  was   on  the  4th  of  September,   1850,  when    the 
Advance  and  Kescue  arri\  ed  at  Barlow's  Iidet ;    but 

23  ' 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


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2.5 


2.2 


2.0 


1.8 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporalion 


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1.25      1.4 

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WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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354 


FIRST  GRINNELL  EXPEDITION 


after  remaining  seven  or  eight  days,  tney  abandoned  tbc 
attempt  to  enter.  On  the  right  and  left  of  the  entrance 
were  dark  rocks,  in  the  centre  the  frozen  waters,  and 
beyond,  a  range  of  hills.  There  was  much  smooth  ice 
within  the  inlet,  and,  while  the  vessels  lay  anchored  to 
the  "  field,"  officers  and  crew  exercised  and  amused 
themselves  by  skating.  On  the  left  of  the  inlet  they 
discovered  a  cairn  (a  heap  of  stones  with  a  cavity), 
eight  or  ten  feet  in  heijrht,  which  was  erected  by  Capt. 
Ommaney,  of  the  Englisii  expedition  then  in  the  polar 
waters.  Within  it  he  had  placed  two  letters,  for  "  whom 
it  might  concern."  Commander  De  Haven  also  depos- 
ited a  letter  tiiere.  It  is  believed  to  be  the  only  post- 
ofBce  in  the  world  free  for  the  use  of  all  nations.  The 
rocks  here  presented  vast  fissures  made  by  the  frost ; 
and  at  the  foot  of  the  cllfT  on  the  right  that  powerful 
agent  had  cast  down  vast  heaps  of  dibris. 

From  Barlow's  Inlet  the  American  expedition  moved 
slowly  westward,  battling  with  the  ice  every  rood  of 
the  way,  until  they  reached  Griffin's  Island,  at  about 
96°  west  longitude  from  Greenwich.  This  was  attained 
on  the  11th  of  September,  and  was  the  extreme  westing 
made  by  the  expedition.  All  beyond  seemed  impene- 
trable ice  ;  and,  despairing  of  making  any  further  dis- 
coveries before  the  winter  should  set  in,  they  resolved 
to  return  home.  Turning  eastward,  they  hoped  to  reach 
Davis's  Straits  by  the  southern  route,  before  the  cold 
and  darkness  came  on  ;  but  they  wore  doomed  to  disap- 
pointment. Near  the  entrance  to  Wellington  Channel 
thej  became  completely  locked  in  by  hummock -ice,  and 
BOOL  found  themselves  drifting  with  an  irresistible  tide 
up  that  channel  toward  the  pole. 

Now  began  the  most  perilous  adventures  of  the  navi- 
gators Tlie  summer  day  was  drawing  to  a  close  ;  the 
diurnal  visits  of  the  pab  sun  worts  rapidly  shortening, 


FIRST  QRINNELL  EXPEDITION. 


355 


and  soon  the  long  polar  night,  with  all  its  darkness  and 
horrors,  would  fall  upon  them.     Slowly  they  drifted  in 
those  vast  fields  of  ice,  whither,  or  to  what  result,  they 
knew  not.     Locked  in  the  moving  yet  compact  mass ; 
liable  every  moment  to  bo  crushed ;  far  away  from  land ; 
the  mercury  sinking  daily  lower  and  lower  from  the  zero 
figure,  toward  the  point  where  that  metal  freezes,  they 
felt  small  hope  of  ever  reaching  home  again.     Yet  they 
prepared  for  winter  comforts  and  winter  sports,  as  cheer- 
fully as  if  lying  safe  in  Barlow's  Inlet.     As  the  winter 
advanced,  the  crews  cf  both  vessels  went  on  board  the 
larger  one.     They  unshipped  the  rudders  of  each  to 
prevent  their  being  injured  by  the  ice,  covered  the  deck 
of  the  Advance  with  felt,  prepared  their  stores,   and 
made  arrangements  for  enduring  the  long  winter,  now 
upon  them.     Physical  and  mental  activity  being  neces- 
sary for  the  preservation  of  health,  they  daily  exercised 
in  the  open  air  for  several  hours.     They  built  ice  huts, 
hunted  the  huge  white  bears  and  the  little  polar  foxes,' 
?.nd,   during  the   darkness  of  the  winter  night,    they 
an-  :ged  in-door  amusements  and  employments. 

Before  the  end  of  October,  the  sun  made  its  appear- 
ance for  the  last  time,  and  the  awful  polar  night  closed 
in.      Early  in    November  they  wholly  abandoned   the 
Rescue,  and  both  crews  made  the  Advance  their  perma- 
nent  winter  home.     The  cold  soon  became  intense  ;  the 
mercury  congealed,  and   the   spirit  thermometer  indi- 
cated  46°  below  zero.      Its  average  range  was  30"  to 
35°.     They  had  drifted  helplessly  up  AVellington  Chan 
nel  almost  to  the  latitude  from  whence  Captain  Pennj 
saw  an  open  sea,  supposed  to  be  the  £reut  polar  basin 
where  there  is  a  more  genial  clime  than  that  which  inter- 
venes  between  the  Arctic  Circle  and  the  75th  degree 
Here,  when   almost  in  eight  of  the  open   ocean,\hat 
mighty  polar  tide,  with  its  vast  masses  of  ice,  Puddenly 


356 


FIRST  GRINNELL  EXPEDITION. 


ly 


i  I  •  I  ■ 


i  *' 


ebbed,  and  our  little  vessels  were  carried  back,  as  resist- 
lessly  as  before,  through  Barrow's  Straits,  into  Lancaster 
Sound.  All  this  while  the  immense  fields  of  hummock- 
ice  were  moving,  and  the  vessels  were  in  hourly  danger 
of  being  crushed  and  destroyed.  At  length,  while  drift- 
ing through  Barrow's  Straits,  the  congealed  mass,  as  if 
crushed  together  by  the  opposite  shores,  became  more 
compact,  and  the  Advance  was  elevated  almost  seven 
feet  by  the  stern,  and  keeled  two  feet  eight  inches,  star- 
board. In  this  position  she  remained,  with  very  little 
alteration,  for  five  consecutive  months  ;  for,  soon  after 
entering  Baffin's  Bay  in  the  midst  of  the  winter,  the  ice 
became  frozen  in  one  immense  tract,  covering  millions 
of  acres. 

Thus  frozen  in,  sometimes  more  than  a  hundred  miles 
from  land,  they  drifted  slowly  along  the  south-west  coast 
of  Baffin's  Baj',  a  distance  of  more  than  a  thousand  miles 
from  Wellington  Channel.  For  eleven  weeks  that 
dreary  night  continued,  and  during  that  time  the  disc  of 
the  sun  was  never  seen  above  the  horizon.  Yet  nature 
was  not  wholly  forbidding  in  aspect.  Sometimes  the 
aurora  borealis  would  flash  up  still  further  northward ; 
and  sometimes  mock  suns  and  mock  moons  would  appear, 
in  varied  beauty,  in  the  starry  sky.  Brilliant,  too,  were 
the  northern  constellations  ;  and  when  the  real  moon 
was  at  its  full,  it  made  its  stately  circuit  in  the  hea^^ens 
without  descending  'ow  the  horizon,  and  lighte.l  up 
the  vast  piles  of  ice  with  a  pale  lustre,  almost  as  vivid 
as  the  morning  twilights  of  more  genial  skios. 

Around  the  vessels  the  crews  built  a  wall  of  ice  ;  and 
in  ice  huts  they  stowed  away  their  cordage  and  stores,  *■  > 
make  room  for  exercise  on  the  decks.  They  organized  a 
theatrical  company,  and  amused  themselves  and  the  offi- 
cers with  comedy  well  performed.  Behind  the  pieces  of 
nutnmock  each  actor  learned  his  part ;  and  by  means  of 


FIRST  GftlNNELL  EXPEDITION.  357 

calico  they  transformed  themselves  into  female  charar> 
^ors,  as  occasion  required.      These  dramas  were  acted 
upon   he  deck  of  the  Advance,  someti.nes  while  the  t  e. 
mometer  indicated  30»  below  zero  ;  and  actors  and  audi- 
ence highly  enjoyed  the  fun.     They  also  went  out  in  par- 
ties  dunng  that  long  „ight,  fully  armed,  to  hunt  the  polar 
'>ear,  the  grim  monarch  of  the  frozen  north,  on  which 
occasions  they  often  encountered  perilous  adventures, 
rhey  played  at  foot-ball,  and  exercised  tiiemselves  in 
drawing  sledges   heavily  laden  with  provisions.     Five 
hours  of  each  twenty-four  they  thus  exercised  in  the 
open  air,  and  once  a  week  each  man  washed  his  whole 
uent^  '       ---water.     Serious  sickness  was  conse. 
quently  avoided  ;  and  the  scurvy,  which  attacked  them 
soon  yielded  to  remedies.  ' 

Often,  during  that  f-.,v.ul   night,  they  expected   the 
disaster  of  having  their  vessels  crushed.     All  through 
November  and   December,  before  the  ice  became  fast, 
they  .lep     ,n   their  clothes,  with  knapsacks   on    thei; 
backs   and  sledges  upon  the  ice,  laden  with  stores,  not 
knowing  at  what  moment  the  vessels  might  be  demol- 
«hed,  and  tho.nsolves  forced  to  leave  them,  and  make 
heir  way  toward  laud.     On  the  8th  of  December,  and 
the  23d  of  January,  they  actually  lowered  Jieir  boats 
and  stood  upon  the  ice,  for  the  crushing  masses  were 
naking  the  timbers  of  the  gallant  vessel  creak,  and  its 
decks  to  rise  in  the  centre        They  were  then  ninety 
miles  from  land,  and  hope  hardly  whispered  an  encour- 
aging  Kloa  of  hfe  being  sustained.     On  the  latter  occv 
sion,  when  officers  and  crew  stood  upon  the  ice,  with  the 
ropes  of  their  provision-sledges  in  ihcir  hands,  a  terrible 
Hnow-drift  came  from  the  north-east,  and  intense  dark- 
less shrouded  them.    Had  the  vessel  then  been  crushed 
all  must  have  perished. 
A  strange  picture  might  have  been  seen  on  ChristmaB 


i 


358 


FIKST  GRINNELL  EXPEDITION. 


,,•11 


day,  1850,  by  a  spirit  who  could  have  roamed  from  end 
io  end  of  the  icy  continent,  and  taken  it  in  at  a  glance. 
No  less  than  ten  Arctic  discovery-ships  were  winior- 
iiig  within  a  few  hundred  miles  of  each  other.  Under 
Griffith's  Island  lay  her  majesty's  ships  tlie  Resolute, 
Assistance,  Pioneer,  and  Intrepid ;  in  a  small  bay  in 
North  Devon  were  securely  sheltered  Captain  Penny's 
two  brigs;  the  Investigator  lay  in  Prince  of  Wales 
Strait ;  and  at  the  mouth  of  Lancaster  Sound,  drifting 
helplessly  in  the  pack  which  had  borne  them  already 
twelve  degrees  to  the  eastward,  were  the  two  unfortu- 
nate ships  of  the  Grinnell  expedition.  But  this  was  not 
all.  Only  three  to  four  hundred  miles  from  the  Investi- 
gatcr'a  winter  quarters,  Mr.  Rae  was  waiting  on  the 
border  of  Great  Boar  Lake  for  weather  that  would  a!  low 
him  to  start  on  his  land  journey.  And,  in  all  human 
probability,  Sir  Juhn  Franklin's  ships,  the  Erebus  and 
Terror,  lay  imbedded  in  the  ice,  desolate  and  abandoned, 
somewhere  off  the  north  coast  of  King  William's  Land. 
But  where  were  the  men  who  sailed  in  them — the  ob- 
jects of  so  many  expeditions  and  so  much  anxious  hope  ? 
Dr.  Kane,  who  wrote  a  deeply  interesting  account  of 
the  first  Grinnell  expedition,  says,  under  date  of  Febru- 
ary 28th,  1851,  when,  for  some  days,  the  average  tem- 
perature was  53  degrees  below  zero  :  "  Cold  as  it  was, 
our  mid-day  exercise  was  never  interrupted  unless  by 
wind  and  drifc-storms.  We  felt  the  necessity  of  active 
exercise  ;  and,  although  the  effort  was  accompanied  with 
pains  in  the  joints,  sometimes  hardly  bearable,  wt;  man- 
aged, both  officers  and  crew,  to  obtain  at  least  three  hours 
a  day.  The  exercise  consisted  of  foot-ball  and  sliding, 
followed  by  regular  games  of  romps,  leap-frog,  and  tum- 
bling in  the  Inow.  By  shovelling  away  near  the 
vessel,  we  obtained  a  fine  bare  surface  of  fresh  ice, 
extremely  glib  and  durable.     On  this  wo  constructed  a 


FIRST  QRENNELL  EXPEDITION. 


35& 


Bkatlng-ground  and  admirable  elidea.  I  walked  regu- 
larly  over  the  floes,  although  the  snows  were  nearly 
impassable.  With  all  this,  aided  by  hosts  of  J^gienic 
resources,  feeble,  certainly,  but  still  the  best  at  my 
command,  scurvy  advanced  steadily." 

On  the  21st  April  Dr.  Kane  encountered  a  bear  on  the 
ice,  on  which  ho  remarks :  "  We  are  at  least  eighty 
miles  from  the  nearest  land.  Cape  Kater;  and  channels 
innumerable  must  intervene  between  us  and  terra  firma. 
Yet  this  majestic  animal,  dependent  upon  his  own  pred- 
atory resources  alone,  and,  defying  cold  as  well  as  hun- 
ger,  guided  by  a  superb  instinct,  confides  himself  to 
these  solitary,  unstable  ice-fields. 

"  Parry,  in  his  adventurous  polar  efi'ort,  found  these 
animals  at  the  most  northern  limit  of  recorded  observa- 
tion. Wrangell  had  them  as  companions  on  his  first 
Asiatic  journey  over  the  Polar  Ocean.  Navigators  have 
also  found  them  floating  upon  berg  and  floe  far  out  in 
open  sea  ;  and  here  we  have  them  in  a  region  some 
seventy  miles  from  the  nearest  stable  ice.  They  have 
seldom  or  never  — if  we  except  Parry's  Spitzberiren 
experience  — been  seen  so  far  from  land.  In  the  great 
majority  of  cases,  they  seem  to  have  been  accidoiitally 
caught  and  carried  adrift  on  disengaged  ice-floes  In 
this  way  thoy  travel  to  Iceland  ;  and  it  may  have  been 
80,  perhaps,  with  the  Spitzbergen  instances. 

"  There  is  something  very  grand  about  this  tawny 
savage  :  never  leaving  this  utter  destitution,  this  fnVid 
inhc3pitableness  ;  coupling  in  May,  and  bringing  forth 
ir.  JL.isimas  time;  a  gestation  carried  on  all  of  ii 
below  zero,  more  than  half  of  it  in  Arctic  darkness  ; 
living  in  perpetual  snow,  and  dependent  for  life  up.,,,  u 
never-ending  activity ;  using  the  frozen  vater  as  a  rait 
to  traverse  the  open  seas,  that  the  water  unfrozen  may 
yield  him  the  means  of  life.  No  time  for  hibernat,",, 
has  this  polar  tiger ;  his  life  is  one  great  winter." 


300 


FIllST  GllINNKLL  KXPKDITION. 


i  * 


I 


Eiuly  ill  Kohrumy  llie  iioitliern  horizon  Ik^j^iiii  to  he 
utrt'uluHl   with   gorgoous    twilight,    the   hcriiM   of   tho 
ai)proiichiiig  huh  :  iiiul  on  tho  18tii  hiH  diHC  fii-Ht  iippoiircd 
above  tlic  liorizon.     Ah  {h(>  golden  rim  rose  above  tin! 
glittering    Hnow-drift.s    iind    pilcH    of  ice,    three    hearty 
cheers  wiJiit  up  from  those  hardy  niarinerH,  and   tliey 
entluisiiistieiiliy  welcomed  their  d(;liverer  from  th(!  ehainH 
of  frost.     Day  after  day  tlin  sun  roHe  higher  and  higher, 
and  vast  masses  of  iee  b(>gan  to  yield  to  his  fervid  inllu- 
eiices.      Tii(!  scurvy  disappeared,  and  from  tlnit  time, 
until  their  arrival  iioino,  not  a  man  suflered   from  sick- 
ness.    As  tiiey  slowly  drifted  through  Davis's  Straits, 
and   the   ice  gave  indications  of  breakiiig  up,  the  voy- 
agers nnide  preparations  for  sailing.     The  IJescue  was 
reoccupied  (Alay  12th,  1S51),  and  her  stern-post,  wiiich 
had  been    broken  by  th(>  ice  in  liarrow's  Straits,  was 
repaired.     To  accomplish  this,  they  were  obliged  to  dig 
away  the  ice,  which  was  from  twelve  to  fourteen  feet 
thick    around    her.       They    re-shipped    their    ru<lder8  ; 
removed  the  felt  covering;  i)lace(l  their  stores  on  deck, 
and  then    patiently  awaited  the  disruption  of  tli(>  ice. 
This  event  was  very  sudden  and  appalling.      ]t  began 
to  give  way  on  the  fitli  of  June,  and  in  the  space  of 
twenty  minutes  the  wliol<>  mass,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  became  one  vast  held  of  moving  tloes. 

On  the  loth  of  June,  1851,  they  emerged  into  open 
water  a  little  south  of  the  Arctic  Circle,  in  latitude  65' 
30'.  They  immediately  repaired  to  Godhaven,  on  tlir? 
coast  of  Greenland,  where  th(>y  re-fitted,  and,  unapf)alhd 
by  the  perils  through  which  they  had  just  passed,  they 
once  more  turned  their  prows  northward,  to  encounter 
amnv  tlie  ice  squadrons  of  Ratlin's  Bay.  Again  thoy 
travcr.sed  the  coast  of  Greenland  to  about  the  THd  degiee, 
when  they  bore  to  tho  westward,  and  on  the  Tth  and  8th 
of  July  passed  tho  English  whaling- fleet  near  the  Dutch 


FiiiST  Giu.\M;r,L  Kxi'KDirroN.  36] 

iHlah.ls.     ()„wanl  they  pn-HHO.!  (l,n,„j.l,  f),,.  acc.mu.Iat- 
i"K  i'«'  <"•  l{umi.'H  iHl.ind,  where,  on  tl.c  lltl,,  thoy  were 
jomnl  l,y  tl...  l',i„,,  Albort,  the.  ..»t  u,,o„  un.,thor  cruiHo 
IM'.V  •■.M.t.nu.'d  in  c.rnp.iny  until  tho  :U\  of  Augnnt,  ivh.-n 
llH-  .An..Tt    departed    (or  tho  wentward,  .hitcMniinod  to 
try  1 1.0  inoro  Houthern  passugo.     [fcro  again  the  Anieri- 
i-unH  ..nconntorod  vast  fields  of  hmnnio(J<-icc,  and  were 
NnLjccled  to  the  most  itnn.incnt  perils.    Tho  floating  ice 
UH  ,f  rnov.Ml  by  adverse  currents,  tnn.l.Ied  in  huge  inasses' 
iu.d  n-an-d   upon  the  sides  of  the  sturdy  little  vessels 
■ko    nu.nsters   of    the   deep    intent    upo,>    destruction 
llM-se  .Masses  l,.„ke  i.i  the  bulwarks,  and  sometimes  fell 
over   up<..,    the   decks   with    te.rible   fo,co,   like    rocks 
rolle.l  over  a  plain  by  mountai.i  ton-ents.      The  noise 
was    f^..arfuI_H„   deafl...i.>g    that  the   mariners   could 
Hcarcely  hear  each  other's  voices.     The  sounds  of  these 
roll.ng  m.usses,  together  with  the  reding  of  the  iceborgs 
float...g  ..ear,  a..d  the  vast  floes,  pioduced  a  di..  like  tho 
discharge  of  a  thousand  pieces  of  ordna..co  upon  u  field 
of  battle. 

Flndi.ig   the  north  a..d  west  closed    against   furlh  t 
progress,  by  in.pe.ielrable  ice,  De  Have.,  was  balked- 
and,  tur.,i.,g  his  vessels  homeward,  they  came  out  i..to 
UM  open  sea  so.newhat  crippled,  but  not  .•.  plank  seri- 
ously starte.l.     During  a  stor.n  off  tho  ba.iks  of  New- 
foiL.dla.id,  a  ll.ousa..d  n.iles  f.-om  New  Yo.-k  tho  vessels 
parted  compa..y.      The  Adva..ce  arrived  safely  at  the 
Navy  Yard,  at  Brookly..,  on  the  30tl.  of  September  1851  • 
.•u.d  the  Rescue  joined  her  there  a  few  days  aftonva.-(r 
oward  the  close  of  October  the  goven,n.e..t  .•esig..e,l 
the  vessels  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  G.-i.,..ell,  to  be  used  in 
ether  service,  but  with  the  stipulatior.  that  they  wore  to 
I'O  subjc-ct  to  the  order  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  in 
the  sprmg,  ,f  required  for  another  expedition  in  search 
of  Sir  John  Franklin. 


hi 


■1-4 


\i 


CHAPTER  XV. 


rag  princk  alukrt  RBrirren  by  lady  rRANKUif.  —  mb.  kksskdt  thb 

COMHANUKll.  —  DKI'AIITIIUK    OF    THK  VE8SKL.  —  CrKBNAVIK.  —  TRIAL   OF 

CARRIKK-rinKONS. —  ni.HAHTRODS    SKPARATIO!*. IIBLIKK   AND   RKCNIOif. 

—  PRKPAUATIONS      PllR      WINTKHIXO.  —  WINTKB     JOURNKYS.  —  VISIT     TO 

rORT    UEACII TUB    UllAND   JUL'RNEY. — SBVBBB    OALK. — THK   JURy'S 

STORKS.  —  DOQS.  —  CAIR.NS     NOT     ALWAYS     8KE.f. —  CAPS     WALKBR. — 

IIKTIIRN  TO    HATTY  BAY.  —  HOMBWABD   BOUND.  —  BELLOT. RAB's    LAND 

JOUR.NKY    IN    1AM. 


i  ! 


<  r 


TiiK  (liscovtM-y  of  the  traces  of  Franklin's  visit  to 
Point  Kiley,  the  account  of  which  waa  brought  homo  by 
the  Prince  Albert,  gave  encouragement  for  a  renewal  of 
the  search.  On  the  3(1  of  Juno,  1851,  the  Prince  Albert, 
which  had  been  refitted  by  Lady  Franklin  for  the  pur- 
pose of  exploring  the  shores  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet, 
set  sail  from  Stromnesa.  She  was  under  the  command 
of  Mr.  William  Kennedy,  formerly  in  the  service  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  who  has  published  an 
interesting  narrative  of  his  adventures. 

The  Prince  Albert  had  been  well  strengthened  for 
encounters  with  ponderous  masses  of  ice.  Along  her 
sides,  from  the  keel  to  about  two  feet  above  the  water- 
line,  there  was  a  doubling  of  elm  planking  of  fully  two 
and  a  half  inches  thick,  intended  not  only  to  fortify  the 
hull  of  the  little  vessel,  but  to  preserve  her  sides  from 
the  tear  and  wear  of  sailing  through,  and  rubbing 
against,  sharp,  rasping  pieces  of  ice.  The  b(w  and 
stern-post  were  sheathed  with  wrought  iron  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  tliick,  and  a  broad  strip  of  thick  sheoliroc 


BKLLOT.  -  HEPBURN. 


36 


Hor  hold  w.i8  a  perfect  labyrinth  of  croBs-boams  a„d 
maHH.vo  fasteningH.  to  onaMo  her  to  withstand  tho  ovU 
conBequences  of  a  "nip  ;  "  .„d  the  arrangomontB  goner 
Uy  were  conducted  in  a  manner  which'whilo  it^•nd;- 
cated  tho  dangerous  nature  of  tho  service,  also  served 
o  assure  er  crew  that  noth:.g  had  been  left  undo  o 
winch  could  .n  any  way  conduce  to  their  comfort  and 

She  was  supplied  with  several  boats.     One  was  mado 
of  gutta-percha,  and  another  of  mahogany;  the  third 
l>CM,g  a  small  dinr;y,  of  tho  ordinary  kind      She  had  a  so 
one  of  Ilalkett's   Mackintosh  bo.ts,  and  a  tL  kayak 
made  m   im.tation  of  those   used   by  the  Esquimaux 
Dressed  moose-skins  and  parchment,  to  be  c^^erd 
durmg   the  voyage   into   moo^asins,    snow-shoe      dg- 
«Iedge-traces,    &c.,    were   abundantly   supplied    '  Pro- 
vision  for  two  years  was  put  on  board,  and  part  of  thi. 
consisted  ofa  ton  and  a  half  of  pemmican. 
The  ship's  company  consisted  of  eijrhteen  in  all   ,•„ 

goon.  Bellot  was  a  spirited  young  officer  from  the 
rench  navy,  whose  romantic  love  of  adventure  led  hi 
to  offer  h,s  services  to  Lady  Franklin  in  the  search 
which  had  now  been  going  on  for  some  years  Ue 
Buon  proved  himself  to  bo  in  ev^ry  way  a  most  useful 
::,::;!  ^"^^   ^"   '--/"   the  nation   t.  which   he 

Among  -he  crew,  who  were  all  picked  men.  there  was 
John  ITopburn,  who  will  be  remembered  by  ev  >ry  reader 
o  Arctic  travel  as  the  faithful  attendaift  o/  lir  John 
Hanklin  during  his  first  adventurous,  and  ;,,  some 
respects  tragic  journey,  through  North  imerici  C 
Wrn  s  spirit  was  fired  with  an  trresistible  desire  to  ^sis^ 


'i( 


364 


OPERNAVIK. 


1.1 


ill  Hoarching  for  tho  hero  with  whom,  in  liis  youth,  he 
had  shared  tho  porils  of  tho  wildenicflB  ;  and  now,  in  hin 
old  ago,  ho  waH  going  to  fuco  a  wilder  form  of  perils  on 
the  ice-ladon  wators  of  the  Polar  Sea.  Another  of  tho 
men  had  travelled  with  Dr.  Kae,  on  hiu  lirHt  expedition 
to  Repulno  Bay  ;  and  another  had  accompanied  Sir 
John  Kichardson  in  his  lioat  journey  through  the  into- 
rior  of  America.  Lady  Franklin  herself  was  present  to 
Bee  the  vessel  ofl".  She  took  an  affectionate  leave  of 
officers  and  crew  ;  and  the  Prince  Albf'rt  bounded  from 
the  shore  and  stretched  out  into  the  wide  Atlantic,  tho 
Union-Jack  at  her  peak,  and  tho  French  Hag,  in  honor 
of  Lieutenant  Bcllot,  Hying  at  tho  fore. 

On  Sunday,  the  24th  of  Juno,  they  descried  tho  coast 
of  Greenland  on  tho  distant  horizon.  In  Baffin's  Bay 
they  were  .isited  by  the  captains  of  two  whaling-vessels, 
who  created  great  excitement  by  telling  thorn  of  the 
discovery  of  Franklin's  winter  quarters  in  1845,  with 
tho  details  of  which  the  reader  is  already  acquainted 
This  information  induced  Kennedy  to  direct  his  course 
to  Upernavik,  tho  Danish  colony  on  the  west  coast  of 
(Jreenland,  partly  for  the  purpose  of  taking  in  additional 
supplies  for  the  use  of  tiie  winter  travelling  parties,  but 
chiotiy  with  the  hope  of  gaining  further  information  of 
tho  recent  discoveries,  from  tho  American  searching 
vessels  which  had  wintered  in  the  pack.  In  this,  how- 
ever, he  wiip  disappointed. 

Of  Upernavik,  which  he  reached  June  10th,  1851, 
Kennedy  K.iys  :  "  It  is  one  of  that  interesting  group  of 
little  colonies  with  which  the  enterprise  of  the  Danes 
has  dotted  the  west  coast  of  Greenland.  Here,  ccm- 
sideraMy  within  tho  Arctic  Circle,  we  found  a  Christian 
conmiunity,  not  only  living,  but,  after  a  fashion,  thriv- 
ing. We  were  informed  by  the  governor  that  there  wore, 
even  at  this  early  period  of  tho  season.,  one  thoussuid 


UPERNAVIK. 


365 


Dan^h  tons  of  o.  an.l  bluhbor  Btorod,  fn„„  the  produce 
of  tho  «u,„,„er  fiHlu.ry.  There  waH  likowino  villoZ 
dcce  .n  every  direction  of  an  abundance  of  volon 

.     '  ui'uui  mem,  Jrom  bemir  coverpd  wifh 

tar  from  top  to  bottom,  -  appearing,  fofall  t      IT  d 
l.ko  BO   n.any  upturned   herring-boats,  ready,  on   any 
emergency,  to  take  to  tho  water.  ^ 

"A  party  of  the  Esquimaux,  attached  to  the  nottle- 
ment,  had  come  in  with  the  produce  of  some  hunt  n^ 
excurH.on  in  which  they  had  been  engaged;  an       wa! 
much  Htruck  with  their  intoliife.uce,  and  their  wdlLrad 
comfortable,  and  healthy  appearance.     This.  I  le  n  ed 
was  ma  great  measure  due  to  the  benevolent  into    st 

a  st^on   I'u  ^^^'!^''"'"«"*  '"  ^''«-  l^«'-'f-     There  is  not 
a  station,  I  was  g.ven  to  understand,  along  tho  whole 

coast  of  Greenland,  which  has  not  its  mis^-onary  and 

ts  schoolmaster  for  the  instruction  of  the  natives     Jnd 

.udgmg  from  what  we  saw  and  learned  at  Upen.  "k 

ho  Dan>Hh  exchequer  is  not  without  materiaUn    s  bi 

stantud  proofs  of  the  gratitude  of  the  poor  - /.„  Jr 

Thus  .nstructed,  cared  for,  and  their  energes  diHrip!i„ed 

and  d.rected,  the  Esquimaux  of  Greenland  give    m     "y 

tTei     r;-'  'Te  r""^"^'  "'  ^^^■•^'"•^  the%rod:c  Tr 
tbeir  hunts  and  lisheries  to  Denmark." 

At  this  place  six  large  Esq.u'maux'dogs,  for  dragline 
Bledgos  were  purchased.  A  few  pairs  of  selsk^ 
boots,  Hhoes.  and  trousers,  a  la  Esguimat^,  ^ore  also 
procured,  and  tho  Prince  Albert  proceeded  or.  her 
voyage.  The  much-dreaded  "middle  ice  "  was  reached 
soon  alter  leaving,  and  four  days  were  spent  in  asstg 
hrough  .t  to  the  western  side  of  the  bay.  during  whicS 
time  tho  men  were  constantly  employed  in  sailing, 
boring,  puBfting,  thumping,  a-id  warping -not  unfro- 


3U6 


CARRIER-HGHONb.  —  ESQUIMAUX. 


quently  exposed  to  the  perilous  nips,  which  pre  Bomo 
times  productive  of  such  dire  consequences.  At  this 
point  in  the  voyage  It  was  deemed  advisable  to  test  the 
powers  of  some  carrier-pigeons  with  which  they  had 
been  provided  ;  but  the  poor  birds  refused  to  take  the 
long  flight  to  England,  and  resolutely  persisted  in 
reiurning  to  the  ship  again,  after  a  short  survey  of  the 
icy  region  in  which  they  were  let  loose. 

During  the  passage  ot  the  middle-ice,  a  large  quantity 
of  provisions  had  been  got  up  on  deck,  to  be  ready  in 
case  an  unfortunate  crush  should  sink  the  vessel.  This 
was  now  re-stowed  in  the  hold,  on  getting  into  the 
comparatively  clear  western  waters  of  Baffin's  Bay. 

One  evening  about  this  time,  while  they  were  sailing 
quietly  among  beautiful  and  fantastically  forme'd  frag- 
ments of  ice,  which  obliged  them  frequently  to  deviate 
a  little  from  their  course,  a  shout  was  heard  ranging 
through  tlie  "aim,  still  atmosphere,  and  very  soon  four 
Esquimaux  paddled  out  to  thorn  in  their  seal-skin  koyaks 
They  speedily  clambered  on  board,  and  one  of  the  crew 
happenhig  to  have  some  slight  knowledge  of  English,  a 
vigorous  flow  of  query  and  reply  commenced,  in  the 
course  of  wliich  much  useful  information  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  coast  and  inlets  was  obtained.  One, 
especially,  proved  to  be  an  expert  draftsman,  and  by 
means  of  a  bit  of  chalk  drew  on  the  deck  the  outlines 
of  various  parts  of  the  coast,  which  were  of  some  service. 

Tlie  progress  of  the  vessel  was  wow  much  interrupted 
by  ice  and  contrary  gales.  All  atte  npts  to  readi  Cape 
Riley,  and,  subsequently,  to  f.ito'-  Leopold  Harbor, 
were  completely  frustruted.  Far  an  the  eye  couM  reach 
down  the  west  side  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  —  which 
Tv'as  to  be  the  scene  of  their  searching  operations,  — 
huge  barriers  of  ice  met  the  view.  The  voyagerr 
p  ished  boldly  m  amongst  it,  however,  and  succeeded 


DISASTROUS  SEPARATION. 


367 


after  a  tortuous  course,  in  reaching  Elwin  Bay,  which 
they  found  quite  closed  up.     Batty  Bay  and  Fury  Beach 
were  next  visited,  where  they  met  with  similar  disap- 
pointment, and  where  they  also  perceived  that  the  'ce-. 
between  which  and  the  shore  they  had  been  sailing.- 
was  setting  down  upon  them  ;  so  they  were  obliged  to 
beat  a  hasty  retreat,  in  order  to  escape  being  crushed 
to  pieces.     It  was  now  obviously  fruitless  to  attempt 
the  western   side  of  the  inlet  under  present  circum- 
Btances  ;  so  they  put  about  and  ran  for  Port  Bowen  on 
the  eastern  shore,  which  was  comparatively  free  from 
ice     Here  they  found  traces  of  the  party  which  wintered 
at  this  spot  with  Sir  Edward  Parry,  in  1825 

To  winter  here,  while  all  their  intended  work  lay  on 
the  other  shore  of  the  inlet,  was  quite  out  of  the  ques- 
tion;  BO  It  was  resolved  at  all  hazards  to  attempt  a 
landing  again.     Accordingly,  on  the  9th  of  September 
they  recrossed  the  strait,  and  succeeded  in  approaching 
close  enough  to  the  shore  to  render  an  attempt  to  land 
somewhat  feasible.     The  gutta-percha  boat  was  there, 
fore  got  out,  and  Kennedy,  with  four  of  his  men,  jumped 
into  her  and  rowed  for  tlie  beach.     This  they  reached 
without  difficulty,  by  means  of  a  narrow  lane  of  open 
water  winch  was  opportunely  discovered.     On  ascend- 
ing the  cliffs  of  Cape  Seppings,  Kennedy  found,  to  his 
joy,  that  the  harbor  of  Port  Leopold  was  quite  free  from 
ice,  and,  if  the  ship  could  maintain  her  position  for  a  few 
hours  longer,  he  had  no  doubt  of  being  able  to  effect  an 
entrance.     On   descending  to  the  beach,  however    he 
found,  to  his  consternation,  that  the  passage  by  which 
they  had  entered  was  blocked  up.     The  boat  had  not 
been  fastened  to  the  beach,  but  to  a  large  piece  of  ice, 
which,  with  the  whole  body  of  tne  pack,  was  drifting 
dovvn  the  inlet,  carrying  boat,  ship,  and  men,  along 
rith  It.     To  make  matters  worse,  night  was  coming  on, 


'M 


t,i' 


Im: 


368 


DISASTROUS  SEPARATION. 


aud  nothing  could  be  seen  or  heard  around  but  hug« 
masses  of  ice  grinding,  toHsing,  and  rearing  furiously 
on  every  side.  To  return  to  the  ship  under  these  cir- 
cumstances was  out  of  the  question  ;  so  they  made  for 
the  shore  as  fast  as  possible,  dragging  the  boat  along 
with  them.  On  reaching  it,  they  pulled  the  boat  up  and 
turned  it  over  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  shelter  from  the 
night-air,  and  then  prepared  to  pass  the  night  under  it, 
although  little  sleep  was  anticipated  ;  for,  besides  the 
anxiety  occasioned  by  their  strange  position,  their 
clotlies  were  almost  covered  with  ice,  and  they  had  no 
blankets  or  coverings  of  any  kind.  From  his  former 
experience  in  Arctic  scenes,  Kennedy  knew  the  danger 
of  falling  asleep  under  such  circumstances  ;  and,  notwith- 
standing the  strong  desire  that  he  and  his  men  felt  to 
indulge  in  repose,  he  only  allowed  them  to  rest  for  an 
hour  at  a  time,  obliging  them  during  the  remainder  of 
the  night  to  keep  in  active  motion. 

With  the  dawn  of  the  following  morning  the  shivering 
party  scrambled  to  the  top  of  the  highest  cliff  of  Cape 
Seppings,  but  not  a  vestige  of  the  vessel  was  to  be  seen  I 
The  consternation  of  the  poor  men,  who  were  thus  cast 
away  on  this  bleak  shore,  may  be  imagined.  Without 
provisions,  scantily  clad,  no  vessel,  and  an  approaching 
hyperborean  winter,  their  condition  seemed  forlorn 
indeed.  One  fortunate  circumstance,  however,  cheered 
them  not  a  little  ;  and  this  was  the  fact  that,  two  j'ears 
before.  Sir  James  Ross  had  left  a  deposit  of  provisions 
at  Whaler  Point,  on  the  other  side  of  the  harbor. 
Should  this  be  found  in  good  condition,  there  was  every 
reason  to  hope  that  they  might  manage  to  pass  the 
winter  in  at  least  some  degree  of  comfort.  Thither, 
therefore,  Kennedy  and  his  four  men  now  directed  their 
steps.  A  short  walk  brought  them  to  the  spot,  whore, 
to  their  great  joy,  they  found  the  provisions  just  as  they 


BilBi^BHt,!! 

'  ( 

1  ma 

DISASTBOUS  SEPARATION. 


371 


Lad  been  left,  and  quite  good,  with  the  exception  of  a 
cask  of  tallow,  a  case  of  chocolate,  and  a  barrel  of  bis- 
cuit, whicli  had  been  destroyed,  and  their  contents  de- 
mohshed,  by  the  bears  and  foxes.     A  house  erected  by 
Sir  James  Ross  was  also  found  in  pretty  good  conditioi 
being  only  a  little  damaged  in  the  roof.     Near  to  thu 
there  was  a  flag-staff,  to  which  a  cylinder  was  attachod 
containing  a  notice  of  the  deposit  of  provisions,  and  rt 
the  future  intentions  of  the  party  by  whom  they  had  bc(v» 
left. 

"  It  was  now,"  says  Kennedy,  "  the  10th  of  Septe.-H 
ber.   Winter  was  evidently  fast  setting  in,  and,  from  th.'* 
distance  the  ship  had  been  carried  during  that  disatu 
trous  night,  — whether  out  to  sea  or  down  the  inlet  w« 
could  not  conjecture,  — there  was  no  hope  of  our  being 
able  to  rejoin  her,  at  least  during  the  present  season, 
There  remained,  therefore,  no  alternative  but  to  make  up 
our  minds  to  pass  the  winter,  if  necessary,  where  we 
were.     The  first  object  to  be  attended  to  was  the  erect- 
ing  of  some  sort  of  shelter  against  the  daily  increasing 
inclemency  of  the  weather  ;  and  for  this   purpose  the 
launch,  left  by  Sir  James  Ross,  was  selected.    Her  main- 
mast  was  laid  on  supports  at  the  bow  and  stern,  about 
nine  feet  in  height,  and  by  spreading *two  of  her  sails 
Dver  this  a  very  tolerable  roof  was  obtained.     A  stove 
vas  set  up  in  the  body  of  the  boat,  with  the  pipes  run- 
ning through  the  roof;  and  we  were  soon  sitting  by  a 
comfortable  fire,  which,  after  our  long  exposure  to  the 
wet  and  cold,  we  stood  very  much  in  need  of." 

Kennedy  now  arranged  his  plans  for  the  future.  To 
undertake  a  long  winter  journey  over  the  country  on 
foot  had  been  his  original  inten<ion  ;  but,  under  the 
present  circumstances,  this  was  impossible.  He  there- 
<bre  determined  first  to  send  out  travelling  parties,  su 
Boon  as  the  s«^^a*.e  of  the  ice  should  permit,  to  institute 


Il'''  |J  is 
U'c'C,    ' 


372 


DISASTROUS  SEPAKaTION. 


a  strict  search  for  the  Bliip  in  every  direction  in  which 
it  was  likely  that  she  could  have  been  carried  ;  and 
secondly,  in  the  event  of  being  unsuccessful  in  this,  it 
was  determined  to  make  a  jouruey  early  in  spring  to 
Cape  Walker,  to  search  in  that  direction  for  traces  of 
Captain  Franklin  and  his  crews  ;  and  so  accon:^  ash  at 
least  part  of  the  object  for  which  this  expedition  had 
been  fitted  out. 

There  were  difBculties  in  the  way,  however.  Shoe? 
were  wanted.  Without  shoes  nothing  could  be  donr 
at  all ;  so  it  behoved  them  to  exert  their  ingenuity 
There  was  nothing  in  the  d^pot  of  provisions  that  could 
be  turned  to  this  use  ;  but,  fortunately,  a  good  deal  of 
the  canvas  covering  of  the  old  house  was  loft,  and  oul 
of  this  several  pairs  of  shoes  were  made.  They  answered 
pretty  well,  although,  indeed,  they  lasted  not  much 
longer  than  a  few  days  ;  so  two  of  the  party  were  sol 
to  work  to  devote  their  whole  time  to  the  making  of  a 
supply  of  canvas  shoes,  which  should  last  them  during 
the  whole  winter. 

In  contriving  and  constructing  such  clothing  and 
implements  as  were  absolutely  necessary,  and  in  pre- 
paring for  their  intended  journeys,  they  now  spent 
much  of  their  time.  The  Sabbaths  were  always  days 
of  rest,  and  devoted  to  the  worship  of  God,  whose  ten- 
der care  had  thus  provided  them  with  all  the  necessaries, 
and  not  a  few  of  the  comforts,  of  life. 

On  the  17  th  of  October,  while  they  were  engaged  in 
the  usual  routine  of  daily  duty,  a  shot  was  heard  to 
reverberate  among  the  cliffs  of  Cape  Scppiiigs.  So 
unwonted  a  sound  caused  them  to  rush  tumultuously 
from  their  occupations,  when  they  found,  with  emotions 
of  inexpressible  thankfulness  and  joy,  that  it  proceeded 
from  a  party  of  seven  of  the  Prince  Albert's  men,  headed 
by  BoUot,  who  had  dragged  the  jolly-boat  all  the  waj 


RELIEF  AND  REUNION. 


373 


from  Batty  Bay,  in  the  hope  of  finding  and  euccoriug 
their  long-lost  comrades. 

"I  cannot  refrain,"  writes  Kennedy,  "from  record- 
ing here  my  warmest  thanks  to  Mr.  Bellot,  not  only  for 
this,  but  two  other  attempts  which   he  had   made  to 
communicate    to   us   the    intelligence    of   the    Prince 
Albert's  position,  and  to  bring  us  a  supply  of  clothing 
lie  had  sot  out  with  two  men  to  come  by  land  to  Por^ 
Leopold,  the  third  day  after  getting  into  Batty  Bay  • 
but,  alter  three  days'  march,  over  the  wild  and  run-^ed 
hills,  wading  through  deep  snow,  and  walking  aglinst 
continual  drift,  they  were  obliged  to  return  to  the  ship 
after  much  suiTering  from  cold  and  wet.     He  next  made 
a  gallant  attempt  along  shore  by  means  of  dogs  and 
sledges  ;  but,  getting  on  weak  ice,  fell  through,  and  had 
again  to  return,  with  the  loss  of  the  sledge  and  part  of 
Its  contents.     The  third  (the  present)  attempt  was  more 
successful.     The  little  boat,  as  already  stated,  had  been 
dragged  all  the  ii^ay,  in  case  of  any  occasion  arising  for 
Its  use  where  the  ice  had  not  formed.     They  found  the 
ice,  however,  formed  all  the  way  to  this  point,  and  in 
many  places  so  rough  that  they  had  often  to  drag  their 
boats  over  points  of  land." 

From  those  who  had  thus  opportunely  arrived  to 
succor  them  they  learned  that  the  Prince  Albert  was 
securely  moored  in  Batty  Bay  ;  and,  as  there  was  noth- 
ing now  to  prevent  their  setting  out  to  rejoin  the  vessel, 
preparations  were  commenced  immediately.  The  activ- 
ity and  reactionary  flow  of  spirits  among  the  men  was 
v.-'ry  high,  at  thus  meeting  with  their  long-lost  com- 
rades. Five  weeks  had  elapsed  since  their  disastrous 
separation  ;  and  that  evening  a  truly  joyous  party 
assembled  under  the  covering  of  the  old  launch,  and 
caused  her  timbers  to  quake  with  the  sound  of  rough 
old  sea-songs,  and  tough  yarns,  while  they  quaffed  brim- 


374 


RETURN  TO  THE  SHIP. 


miiig  bowls  of  hot,  strong  chocolate  to  the  success  0/ 
their  expedition. 

On  Wednesday,  the  22d  cf  October,  their  prepara- 
tions being  completed,  a  paper  was  deposited  in  tho 
cylinder,  containing  an  account  of  their  proceedings, 
and  they  commenced  their  journey  to  Batty  Bay. 

A  strong  sledge  had  been  made,  on  which  the  boat 
was  placed  ;  then  all  their  goods  and  provisions,  etc. 
had  been  securely  stowed  away  in  the  latter,  and  haule 
down  to  the  ice  on  Leopold  Harbor,  which  stretched  out 
a  smooth  and  level  plain  before  them.     The  mast  was 
then  erected,  the  sails  set,  and,  the  whole  party  jumping 
in,  away  they  went  over  the  bay  before  a  spanking 
breeze,  at  a  rate  that  was  quite  marvellous.     But,  just 
as  they  got  about  half-way  across  the  bay,  the  sledge 
broke  down,  leaving  them  to  repair   damages  for  tho 
remainder  of  the  day.     Night  overtook  them  ere  they 
could  gain  the  land  ;  and,  as  it  was  not  desirable  to  sleep 
on  the  frozen  sea,  they  were  obliged  to  make  their  way 
on  in  the  dark,  which  was   rendered,  if  possible,  still 
more  palpable  by  a  heavy  fall  of  snow.     After  much 
stumbling  into  crevices  and  cracks,  frequent  wanderings 
about  they  knew  not  where,  and  occasional  dashings  of 
the  shins  upon  sharp  pieces  of  projecting  ice,  a  small 
bit  of  solid  land  was  found  in  the  shape  of  a  flat  lime- 
stone rock,  surrounded  by  large  masses  of  stranded  ice. 
Here  they  erected  a  tent,  and  with  some  coals  which 
had   been  brouglit  from  Whaler  Point  boiled  a  largo 
kettle  of  tea,  and  enjoyed  themselves  exceedingly  after 
the  fatiguing  and  protracted  march  of  the  day. 

But  they  experienced  some  embarrassment  in  dispos- 
ing themselves  to  rest.  The  tent  was  small,  and  the 
party  numbered  thirteen.  Six  sat  down  on  one  side, 
and  six  on  the  other,  by  which  they  managed  to  havo 
about  three    feet  of  space  for  stretching  their   lege. 


SNOW  HOUSES. 


375 


Bellot  —  whose  good-humored  aptitude  to  accommodate 
Himself  to  all   varieties  of  circumstances  was   always 
conspicuous  —  undertook  to  squeeze  in  under  the  twelve 
pairs  of  legs,  a  small  space  at  one  end  being  left  clear 
for  luH  head.     But  the  arrangement  was  not  propitious 
to  sleep  ;  and  it  was  resolved  to  "  make  a  night  of  it  " 
They  had  a  candle,  but  no  candlestick  ;  so  each  man 
held    the   candle  for  a  quarter  of  an  liour.  and   then 
passed  It  to  his  neighbor.     Songs  were  sung,  and  there 
was  some  hilarious  merriment.     But  the  candle  went 
out,  and   then   there  was  a  renewal  of  the  abortive 
attempts  to  sleep.     These  were  accompanied  with  nods 
groans,  and   sighs,  —  especially  from   poor   Bellot,  on 
whom  the  weight  of  twenty-four  heavy  legs  began  to 
tell  with  the  eflect  of  a  hydraulic  press.     At  length  the 
gray  dawn   warned    them   to  rise  and    resume    their 
journey. 

Their  discomforts  had  been  such  that  they  determined 
m  future  to  adopt  the  Esquimaux  plan  of  building  a 
snow  hut  each   night,  in  which  to  sleep.     Kennedy's 
description  of  these  primitive  dwellings  is  interesting  : 
"The  process  of  constructing  a  snow-house  goes  on 
something  in  this  way,  varied,  of  course,  by  circum- 
stances  of  time,  place,  and  materials.     First,  a  number 
of  square  blocks  are  cut  out  of  any  hard-drifted  bank  of 
enow  you  can   meet  with,  adapted   for   the  purpose  ; 
which,   when  cut,   have   precisely  the   appearance   of 
blocks  of  salt  sold  in  the  donkey-carts  in  the  streets  of 
London.     The  dimensions  we  generally  selected  were 
two  feet  in  length  by  fourteen  inches  in  height,  and  nine 
inches  in  breadth.     A  layer  of  these  blocks  is  laid  on 
the  ground  ncariy  in  the  form  of  a  square  ;  and  then 
another  layer   on   this,  cut   so   as   to  incline  sli-rbtly 
inwards,  and  the  corner  blocks   laid   diagonally  "over 
those  underneath,  so  as  to  cut  off  the  angles.     Other 


376 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  WINTEUINO. 


layers  follow  in  the  same  way,  until  you  have  graduallj 
a  dome-shaped  structure  rising  before  you,  out  of  which 
you  have  only  to  cut  a  small  hole  for  a  door,  to  find 
yourself  within  a  very  light,  comfortable-looking  bee- 
hive  on  a  large  scale,  in  which  you  can  bid  defiance  to 
wind  and  weather.  Any  chinks  between  the  blocks  are 
filled  up  with  Imoso  snow  with  the  hand  from  outside ; 
as  these  are  best  detected  from  within,  a  man  is  usually 
sent  in  to  drive  a  thin  rod  through  the  spot  where  he 
discovers  a  chink,  which  is  immediately  plastered  over 
by  some  one  from  without,  till  the  whole  house  is  aa 
air-tight  as  an  egg." 

In  these  snowy  dwellings  they  afterwards  passed 
many  nights  in  considerable  comfort,  and  on  the  pres- 
ent  occasion  certainly  found  them  a  great  improvement 
on  the  small  tent.  In  a  few  days  they  reached  the 
ship,  where  a  hearty  welcome  from  their  comrades 
greeted  them. 

Preparations  were  now  vigorously  begun  for  passing 
the  next  eight  months  of  the  winter  of  1851-2  in  the 
ice,  and  for  getting  ready  for  the  land  journeys  wliich 
it  was  intended  to  make  during  that  season.  Tortions 
of  the  stores  were  removed  from  the  vessel's  hold  to 
the  shore,  where  snow-houses  were  built  to  receive  them. 
A  wash-house,  a  carpenter's  shop,  a  forge,  and  a  powder- 
magazine,  were  also  built  of  the  same  material.  The 
decks  of  the  Prince  Albert  were  covered  with  a  housing, 
and  an  embankment  of  snow  as  high  as  tiie  gunwale 
built  around  her. 

In  all  the  excursions  of  the  adventurers,  Bellot,  the 
youi'g  Frenchman,  seems  to  have  been  ever  foremost.  lie 
headed  travelling  parties,  so  soon  as  the  ice  permitted, 
to  make  deposits  of  provisions,  etc.,  for  tlK^gnind  trav- 
elling expeditions  in  prospect  ;  and,  besidi-s  lending 
fiTj  efficient  assistance  in  all  departments  on  board 


WINTER  JOURNEVa 


377 


made  daily  pilgrimages  to  a  hill  in  the  neighborhood, 
where  ho (icciiHioimlly  succoeded  in  obtaining  a  meridian 
obriervation  of  the  sun,  and  always  succeeded  in  getting 
liiH  fingers  frozen  in  the  operation. 

Kcnntfdy,  being  almost  tho  only  man  on  board  who 
had  ever  Hcen  a  snow-shoe  or  a  dog-slodgo  before,  was 
coiiHtantly  engaged  in  constructing  these  indispensable 
implements  for  winter  travelling,  and  in  teaching  his 
crew  the  use  of  them.     Thus  occupied,  the  time  passed 
cheerfully  by.    The  nights  wore  long  and  dark,  and  grew 
rapidly  longer  and  darker.    The  cold  winds  howled  over 
them  from  off"  the  chilly  regions  around  tho  pole,  bear- 
ing in  their  comso  blinding  clouds  of  snow,  circling  and 
screaming  madly  round  the  solitary  ship,  and  whistling 
among  the  rigging  as  if  impatient  for  its  destruction, 
and  then  roaring  away  over  tho  frozen  sea,  to  spend 
their  fury  at  last  on  the  black  waves  of  Hudson's  Bay 
Sometimes  the  sun  shone  brightly  out  in  a  clear,  cloud- 
less sky,  glittering  on  the  icy  particles  which  floated  in 
the  still,  cold  atmosphere,  and  blazing  on  the  tops  of  tho 
neighboring  hills,  whose  white  outlines  were  clearly  and 
sharply  defined  against  the  blue  heavens  ;  and,  as  if  Na- 
tin-o  desired  to  make  some  compensation  for  the  length- 
ened period  of  darkness  to  which  she  doomed  the  land, 
one,  and  sometimes  two  mock-suns,  or,  as  the  sailors 
sometimes  call  them,   "sun-dogs,"  shone  in  the  firma- 
ment, vieing  in  splendor  with  the  glorious  orb  of  day 
himself. 

About  the  5th  of  January,  1852,  all  was  ready  for  the 
cnmm(-noement  of  the  long-talked-of  winter  journeys, 
and  the  morning  of  that  day  was  ushered  in  with  tho 
(blattering  of  snow-shoes  and  sledges,  the  cracking  of 
whips,  the  shouts  of  men,  and  the  howling  and  yelping 
nf  d<.gs.  Although  all  the  men  of  the  Prince  Albert 
were  out  upon  the  ice,  only  five  of  them  wero  appointed 


378 


WINTER  JOURNEYS. 


to  undortako  tho  first  exploratory  journey.     Those  wGr« 
K  3nncdy,  Bollot,  and  throe  of  tlio  hardiest  among  tho 
crow.    "Tho  first  object  of  tlio  journey, "  sayH  Kennedy, 
"  was,  of  course,  to  ascertain  whether  Fury  IJoach  had 
been  a  retreating  point  to  any  of  Sir  Joim  Franklin's 
party  since  it  was  visited  by  Lieut.  Robinson,  of  the  En- 
terprise, in  18t0.     A  secondary  object,  should  our  ex- 
pectations in  this  respect  not  bo  realized,  was  to  form  a 
first  depot  of  provisions  hero,  with  the  view  of  carrying 
out  a  more  extended  search  as  soon  as  circumstances 
would  permit.     It  was  desirable  at  the  same  time  to 
ascertain  the  state  of  the  roadu,  by  which,  of  course,  I 
moan  tho  yet  untrodden  surface  of  tho  snow  or  ice,  in 
the  direction  in  which  wo  meant  to  go,  before  com- 
mencing any  transport,  on  a  largo  scale,  between  tho 
ship  and  Fury  Beach  ;  and  it  was  thought  advisable, 
therefore,  to  go  comparatively  light.     A  small  supply 
of  pemmican  was  all  wo  took  with  us  in  addition  to  our 
travelling  requirements,  consisting  of  a  tent  and  poles, 
blanketing  and  provisions  for  a  week,  some  guns  and 
ammunition,   fuel,    and   a    cooking  apparatus,    in    all 
weighing  from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds." 

Troubles  and  difficulties,  not,  however,  of  a  very  seri 
ous  kind,  assailed  them  at  the  very  commentempnt 
Tho  "roads  "  wore  so  bad  as  to  bo  almost  impassable 
owing  to  tho  ice  being  detached  from  the  shore,  and  so 
leaving  as  their  only  pathway  tho  beach  at  tlic  base  of 
stupendous  clifls.  Hugo  fragments  of  ice  and  largo 
bowlder  stones  mot  them  at  every  turn,  oftit,  rndering 
it  a  work  of  extreme  difficulty  for  tho  united  olVor,.  of 
dogs  and  men  to  drag  tho  sledge  along  i")c-!iHioi  .'.ly 
they  met  with  what  is  termed  a  "  pressure,"  or  a  set 
of  ice  upon  the  shore,  which  blocked  up  the  path  alto- 
gether, and  compelled  thorn  to  have  recourse  to  axes 


Ill 


fliXLOT. 


379 


to  cut  the.r  way  through  ;  and  «ometln.c.«  th.y  camo  to 
ba MkH  .,1  hanl-dnlted  nnow  doping  down  tho  lace  of  the 
c  ifs,  and  leaving  only  an  inclined  piano  to  ,lrag  the 
»:loilge  over.  On  one  oecaHion  Heliot  was  ,,itched  head 
JoromoHt  into  one  of  the«o  hnge  Bnow-driftH,  leaving 
••nly  8,x  inohcH  of  hin  protruding  legs  to  tell  of  I.Ih 
wnereal)out8. 

The  first  night,  not  having  timo  to  erect  a  Hnow-m,t 
uwing  to  the  latenosH  of  tho  hour,  they  slept  in  tho  tout' 
bu    found  It  very  small  and  uncon.fortable  ;  ho  that,  ou 
he  uIowu.g  evening,  they  stoppo.l  for  tho  night,  after 
Mght  hours' wall<,ng,  and  built  their  snovv-hut  at  tho 
J.n.t  of  a  high  precipice,  with  a  perpendicular  masn  of 
Htrande,!  .co  at  the  bottom,  which  nerved  for  a  gable 
11.0  ,co,  winch  wan  undergoing  a  "preHsure,"  groaned 
ground,  and  cranhed  around  them  all  night,  and  finally' 
<_lt  ti.em  .n  the  morning  with  a  pile  at  least  thirty  feel 
high,  with.n  a  few  yards  of  the  encan.pment. 

On  the  8th,  being  within  a  short  distance  of  Fur^ 
«oach,  ,t  was  resolved  to  leave  the  sledge  and  two  of 
tho  men,  while   Kennedy  and   Uellot,  with  one  n.an 
should    proceed  forward   unencumbered.     Accordinjrlv 
hoy  started   and  got  over  the  ground  much  n.ore  rap. 
%  t  an  before.     That  night  they  reached  Fury  Beach, 
and  stood  upon  the  spot  around  which,  for  several  dayj 
past,  their  anxious  hopes  had  been  circling     but  all 
was  st«  1  and  desolate  as  the  grave.    "  Every  object  dis- 
tinguished by  the  moonlight  in  the  distance,"  says  Ken 
•:o.iy,  •'became  animated,  to  our  imaginations,  into  tho 
orms  ol    our  long-absent  countrymen;    for,  had  ihev 
U-en  „n,,risoned  anywhere  in  the  Arctic  seas,  within  a 
■•oa«onH,Ie  distance  of  Fury  Beach,  here,  wo  felt  aa- 
Hured,  some  of  them,  at  least,  would  have  been  now 
but,  alas  for  these  fond  hopes  !  " 
It  was  with  sad  feelings  and  alow  steps  that  Ken- 


-f 


'if  ' 
I'. 


c^  . 


380 


WINTER  OCCUP 


uedy  ii.id  Bellot  entorcd  the  ruined  wallw  ul  Soiiicrsct 
IlouBe,"  ami  prciiared  to  take  a  few  liciirs'  i  'posc.  A 
fire  was  lij2;lited  ir.  the  stove,  whicli  lunl  heated  ihe  end 
of  tne  bnihliii<;-  o.  cupied  by  Sir  Joiui  Ross's  crev  diiriiif.' 
the  dr(!ary  winter  of  1832-33.  Around  this  they  eat 
and  Bup-x'd  ,  and,  after  repos'i^.g,  set  out,  abou'  eh-ven 
p.  M.,  ini  their  retiirn  to  the  eneanirment  where  the 
sledge  liad  been  left.  They  reaelicd  it  about  two  a.  m. 
of  the  following  morning.  From  this  point  tlicy  retraced 
tlieir  steps  again  to  tiie  sliip,  whore  tliey  arrived  on  tlie 
lOtli,  at  iive  o'elock  in  tlie  afternoon,  witliout  having 
eneountered  anything  worth  recording. 

During  *''j  winter,  travelling  parties  were  occasion- 
ally sent  out  for  tlio  purpose  of  placing  provisions  e)x 
cache,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  should  afterwards 
undertake  a  journey  along  shore  to  the  southward,  and 
across  the  country  in  various  directions.  These  parties 
were  often  arrested  by  violent  gales  and  snow-storms, 
whicli  seem  to  have  prevailed  very  much  during  ihe 
whole  winter;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  the  veteran 
Hepburn  observed,  "  that  he  had  known  but  one  gale 
since  entering  Hatty  Bay,  and  that  was  the  gale  which 
began  wdien  they  came,  and  ended  when  they  went 
away  !  " 

Tlicy  had  a  good  library  on  board,  and  spimt  much 
of  their  time  in  reading.  The  doctor  kept  sciiool,  and 
the  crew  woidd  often  sit  in  groups,  listening  to  his  dis- 
courses, or  employed  in  making  flannel  socks,  canvas 
jackets,  and  other  useful  articles. 

Spring  now  drew  on  apace.  This  was  iiidici'ied  l)> 
the  increasing  [lower  of  the  sun  and  lengtli  of  the  days 
though  the  country  retained  its  wintry  aspect  for  months 
afterwards.  Abcuit  the  middle  of  I'diruaiy ,  1  S,")2,  every- 
tliing  being  in  a  proper  state  of  advancement  fur  the 
rommenceinent  of   the  "  grand  J  urney,"  p.cparatiouH 


KENNEDY'S  JOURNEY. 


381 


for  an  imrnediato  start  were  made  ;  and,  on  the  25tb  of 
that  monJ.,  oquippod  with  snow-shoos,  sledges  and 
dogs,  they  left  tlie  vessel.  "     ' 

The  party  which  now  set  out  were  a  detachment  of 
five  men   under  the  co,„mand  of  Kenne.ly.     These  were 
to  be    oilowed  in  a  few  days  by  another  detaclunent 
under  Bellot,  who  was  to  be  waited  for  at  Fury  Beach' 
whence  the  whole,  amounting  to  fourteen  men,  were  to 
start  upon  hitherto  untrodden  ground.     They  were  es- 
cmlo.l  us  far  as  the  south   point  of  Batty  Bay  by  part 
of    he   sh.p  s   company,   who  were  to  ren.ain   beJ.ind. 
At  t  „s  p„„,t  they  separated  ^vith  many  kind  farewells 
and  three  hearty  cheers,  after  which  they  were  soon  lost 
to  each  other  m  the  mist. 

During  the_  first  part  of  the  journey,  the  equinoctial 
ga  OS  blew  with  great  violence.     They  wore  frequently 
|lota,ned  for  whole  days  at  a  time  in  their  encampn.ent 
hy  these  herce  winds,  from  whose  oitter  iury  th,>y  were 
however  well  protected  by  the  snow.h<u,s<.s  whi,.h  they' 
';';lt-     "The  gale,"  says  Kennedy,   'of  Saturday  (28th 
I'obruary)  continuing  duviug  three  days,   we  were  of 
nc^-ess,ty  compelled  to  re.nain  in  camp.     D„n„g  a  short 
.nt^rval,  about  the  2d  of  .March,  the  weather  appearing  to 
get  more  moderate,  we  were  enabled  to  return  for  what 
cargo  had  been  left  hohuul  during  onr  former  trip      It 
was  taken  onward  as  far  as  we  dared,  and  we  returned 
to  (he  camp  against  a  wind  so  keen,  that  no  face  escaped 
>on>g  frost-bitten -the  strong  wind,  in  this  b.stance 
l>oi.ig  the  cause  rather  than  the  degree  of  temp.Tatnre' 
for    1„«  was  co,.iparatively  moderate.     On  the  morning 
of  (he  .Ma  lull  of  an  hour  or  so  enticed  us  (n  bundle 
np  and  lash  our  sleigh.     Xo  sooner  had  we  do„e  this 
and  prnceedM  a  short  distance,  than  the  gale  came  on 
with   HMloubled  fury,  in  c,u,sequence  of  which  we  had 
to   hasten    back  to   onr   snow  retreat,   and   were   g^ad 


3S2 


KENNEDY'S  JOURNEY. 


mr 


enough  to  have  been  still  so  near  a  slieltor  when  caught 
by  it,  as  we  had  much  difficulty  in  keeping  on  our  feet, 
from  the  violence  of  tlie  whirling  eddies  that  came 
Bweepiiig  along  an  exposed  headland  near  us.  Such 
was  the  force  of  the  v/ind,  that  column  after  colunm  of 
whirling  spray  was  raised  by  it  out  of  a  continuous  lane 
of  water,  more  than  a  mile  broad,  which  the  present 
gale  had  opened  out  along  the  coast,  at  the  distance  of 
oidy  a  few  yards  from  our  present  encampment.  Aa 
these  successive  columns  were  lifted  out  of  the  water, 
they  were  borne  onward  with  a  speed  scarcely  less 
rapid  than  the  'wings  of  the  wind '  itself.  "Whilst  de- 
tained here,  we  narrowly  escaped  being  buried  by  an 
infant  avalanche  ;  a  hardened  mass  of  snow  of  several 
tons'  weight  having  been  disengaged  from  the  summit 
of  the  cliff  above  us." 

So  severe  did  this  part  of  the  road  prove,  that  the 
sledges,  moccasins,  and  snow-shoes,  were  severely  dam- 
aged. On  the  whole  party  being  collected  at  Fury 
Beach,  it  was  found  necessary  to  send  back  to  the  ship 
for  additional  supplies.  They  were  mtich  indebted  here 
to  the  old  stores  of  the  Fury,  wliich  were  found  to  '^9 
in  excellent  preservation,  although  they  had  lain  for 
thirty  years  exposed  to  the  weather  on  the  shores  of 
these  icy  seas. 

The  journey  on  which  they  had  now  entered  would 
occupy,  it  was  supposed,  about  throe  montlis,  during 
which  time  they  hoped  to  survey  upwards  of  a  thousand 
miles.  It  was  found,  upon  calculation,  that  six  men 
could  not  carry  a  sufficient  quantity  of  provisions  to 
sustain  them  for  so  long  a  period  ;  so  the  plan  was 
adopted  of  taking  fourteen  men  as  far  ns  Brentford 
Bay,  from  which  point  eight  of  the  travellers  were  to 
return  to  the  ship,  while  the  remaining  six  would  pro 


KENNEDY'S  JOURNEY, 


383 


ecfcd  onwards  witli  as  much  as  they  could  possibly  drag 
or  carry  of  tiic  necessaries  of  life. 

Among  tiieir  provisions  and  equipments,  procured 
from  tlio  old  deposit  at  Fury  Beach,  were  seven  liun- 
dred  and  fifty  pounds  of  peramican,  one  small  sack  of 
flour,  live  gallons  of  spirits  of  wine,  a  hundred  and 
twenty  pounds  of  coal,  four  bags  of  biscuits,  and  various 
knives,  saws,  astronomical  instruments,  &c. 

Of  these  old  stores  of  the  Fury,  Kennedy  says,  he  found 
the  provisions  "not  only  in  the  best  preservation,  but 
much  superior  in  quality,  after  thirty  years  of  exposure 
to  the  weather,  to  some  of  our  own  stores,  and  those 
supplied  to  the  other  Arctic  expeditions.  This  high 
state  of  preservation  I  cannot  help  attributing  in  some 
measure  to  the  strength  and  thickness  of  the  tins,  in 
which  the  preserved  meats,  vegetables,  and  soups,  had 
been  placed.  The  flour  had  all  caked  in  solid  lumps, 
which  had  to  be  regr  ..nd  and  passed  through  a  sieve 
before  it  was  fit  for  the  cook's  hands.  In  other  respects 
it  was  fresh  and  sweet  as  ever,  and  supplied  us  with  a 
stock  of  e.xcellont  biscuit." 

Those  articles,  with  the  tackling  and  sledges,  made 
altogether  a  total  dead  weight  of  about  two  thousand 
pounds;  the  whole  being  lashed  down,  to  the  smallest  pos- 
sible compass,  on  four  flat-bottomed  Indian  sledges,  two 
of  which  were  drawn  by  the  five  dogs,  assisted^by  two 
of  the  men,  the  otiier  two  being  dragged  by  the  rest  of 
the  party. 

It  was  a  fine,  clear,  mild  day  when  they  started,  and 
they  found  the  travelling  very  good  at  first,  the  beach 
being  flat,  and  the  ice  sufficiently  smooth  to  admit  of 
proceeding  with  facility.  Fortune,  however,  seldom 
favors  Arctic  travellers  long.  They  soon  found  their 
bright  sky  overcast,  and  the  mild  breeze  changed  into 
t  cold,  bitter,  frosty  gale.     Under  these  circumstances 


'f1  ,  .11 


384 


KENNEDY'S  JOURNEY. 


'it  I    t'  ' 


I    ■  M 


I    ' 


Hi?! 


they  travelloJ  from  day  to  day,  enduring  it  as  stoically 
as  possible,  and  making  up  to  some  extent  for  their  dis- 
comfort wliile  travelling  by  enjoying  themselves  beneath 
their  snow-burrows  during  the  few  hours  allotted  to  re- 
pose. The  frost-biting  of  their  fiiccs,  however,  became 
at  last  so  intolerable,  that  they  fell  upon  the  expedient 
of  protecting  the  parts  most  vulnerable  by  means  of 
sundry  curious  and  original  kinds  of  coverings.  "For 
the  eyes,"  says  Kennedy,  "we  liad  goggles  of  glass,  of 
wire-gauze,  of  crape,  or  of  plain  wood  with  a  slit  in  the 
centre,  in  the  manner  of  the  Esquimaux.  For  the  face, 
some  had  cloth-masks,  with  neat  little  crevices  for  the 
mouth,  nose,  and  eyes  ;  others  were  muflled  up  in  the 
ordinary  chin-cloth,  and,  for  that  most  troublesome  of 
the  fticial  members,  the  nose,  a  strong  party,  with 
our  always  original  carpenter  at  their  head,  had 
gutta-percha  noses,  lined  with  delicate  soft  flannel." 
These  contrivances,  though  admirable  in  theory,  proved 
complete  failures  in  practice.  They  were  ultimately 
discarded,  wiLli  the  exception  of  the  chin-cloths  and 
goggles. 

Tjie  daily  routine  of  operations  was  as  follows  :  They 
rose  at  six,  but  did  not  dress  —  having  slept  in  theii 
clothes,  that  operation  was  unnecessary ;  then  they 
breakfasted  ;  after  which  came  the  bundling  up  and 
lashing  of  the  .sledges,  and  the  harnessing  of  the  dogs  — 
the  latter  operation  always  being  accomplished  amidst 
considerable  uproar.  Then  came  the  start ;  Kennedy 
leading  the  way,  Bellot  following,  and  the  party  in  a 
string  bringing  up  the  rear.  So  on  they  wont,  over  iiill 
and  dale  and  along  shore,  from  morn  till  night,  stopping 
every  hour  for  five  minutes  to  rest  the  men  and  breathe 
the  dogs,  and  halting,  when  opportunity  oflered,  to  find 
their  latitude  and  longitude.  The  construction  of  a 
snow-hut,  and  the  consumption  of  the  evening  meal, 


KENNEDY'S  JOURNEY 


^80 


concluded  the  labors  of  the  day,  which  wore  seldom 
over  before  nine  or  ten  e-i  night. 

On  the  6th  of  April  thoy  arrived  at  Brentford  Bay 
and  the  fatigue-party  began  their  retrograde  journey  to 
the  ship. 

At  tliis  point  Kennedy  discovered  a  strait  running 
westward,  which  was  found  to  separate  Nortii  Somerset 
from  Boothia  Felix,  and  was  named  Bellot  Strait,  in 
honor  of  the  gallant  y6ung  Frenchman,  who  had  secured 
the  affectionate  regard  not  oidy  of  the  leader  of  the 
party,  but  also  of  all  the  men.  Thence  Kennedy  crossed 
over  Victoria  Strait  to  Prince  of  Wales  Land,  naming 
the  most  prominent  headlands,  bays,  and  islands.  Nu 
merous  tracks  of  deer,  wolves,  bears,  and  musk-oxen, 
were  seen  ;  but  none  of  the  animals  themselves,  except 
one  bear,  which  came  incautiously  close  to  the  snow- 
hut,  and  was  chased  away  by  the  dogs. 

On  the  17th  April  the  thermometer  indicated  -f-22  ; 
"a  temperature,"  says  Kennedy.  "  which,  to  our  sensa^ 
tions,  was  absolutely  oppressive.  One  of  our  dogs, 
through  over-exertion,  combined  with  the  unusual  heat! 
fainted  in  his  traces,  and  lay  gasping  for  breath  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  ;  but,  after  recovering,  went  on  as 
merrily  as  e-er.  These  faithful  creatures  were  perfect 
treasures  to  us  throughout  the  journey.  They  were  all 
suffering,  like  ourselves,  from  snow-blindness,  but  did 
not  in  the  least  relax  their  exertions  on  this  account. 
The  Esquimaux  dog  is,  in  fact,  the  camel  of  these  north- 
em  deserts  ;  the  faithful  attendant  of  man,  and  th« 
sharer  of  his  labors  and  privations." 

During  a  great  portion  of  the  journey  the  men  wero 
much  annoyed  by  snow-blindness,  caused  by  the  fierce 
glare  of  the  sun  upon  the  snow  ;  and  this  was  rendered 
all  the  more  unbearable  by  the  sharp  winds  which  pre- 
vailed so  much,  and  dashed  the  drift  into  their  eye«. 


38G 


KENNEDY'S  JOURNEY. 


The  country  over  which  they  travelled  was  generally 
very  flat,  rendering  it  a  mutter  of  no  small  dilticulty  to 
keep  their  westerly  course,  the  compasses  being  of  lit- 
tle use  in  such  close  proximity  to  the  magnetic  pole. 
Their  great  hope  in  travelling  westward  was,  that  they 
should  meet  with  a  sea  which  would  conduct  them 
northward  to  Cape  Walker,  and  so  enable  them  to 
ascertain  whether  or  not  there  was  any  promising  west- 
ern channel  or  strait  through  which  Franklin  might  have 
penetrated.  After  thirteen  days'  marcLing,  however, 
they  reached  the  hundredth  degree  of  west  longitude 
without  meeting  with  the  wished-for  ocean ;  so  it  was 
resolved  to  turn  their  steps  northward. 

"Being  now  satisfied,"  says  Kennedy,  "that  Sir 
James  Ross  had,  in  his  land  journey  along  the  western 
shore  of  North  Somerset,  in  1849,  mistaken  the  very 
low  and  level  land  over  which  we  had  been  travelling 
for  a  western  sea,  I  felt  no  longer  justified  in  continuing 
u  western  course.  Whatever  passage  might  exist  *o 
the  south-west  of  Cape  Walker,  I  felt  assured  must  now 
be  on  our  north.  I  determined,  therefore,  from  this  time 
forward,  to  direct  our  course  northward,  until  we  should 
fall  upon  some  channel  which  we  knew  must  exist  not 
far  from  us,  in  this  direction,  by  which  Franklin  might 
have  passed  to  the  south-west." 

The  weather  still  continued  boisterous  and  change- 
able. Tlic  channel  of  which  they  were  in  search  was 
nowhere  to  be  found.  Scurvy,  too,  began  to  show  itself 
among  the  men  ;  so  it  was  resolved  to  turn  eastward 
again,  and  proceed  towards  the  channel  laid  down  to 
the  east  of  Cape  Bunny,  which  they  resolved  to  follow 
up  to  Cape  Walker. 

During  the  march  they  met  several  herds  of  deer,  and 
succeeded  in  shooting  a  few  brace  of  ptarmigan.  As 
they  had  no    means  of  cooking  them,  however,  they 


KENNEDY'S  JOURNEY. 


387 


adopted  the  practice,  common  among  Indians,  of  freez- 
ing them,  and,  while  in  this  state,  eating  them  raw  ; 
and  wo  arc  assured  that  a  "frozen  ptarmigan,  after  a 
hard  day's  march,  is  by  no  means  an  unwelcome  addi- 
tion  to  an  Arctic  traveller's  bill  of  faro  1 " 

At  last  they  arrived  at  Cape  Walker.     Its  bold  and 
conspicuous  headland  first  met  their  gaze  on  the  4tli 
of  May  ;  but  lie/e,  as  at  Fury  Beach,  they  were  doomed 
to  disappointment.     Not  a  sign  of  Franklin's  expedition 
having  visited  the  spot  was  to  be  met  with.     Bollot 
carefully  followed  the  windings  of  the  rough  ice  outside 
the  beach,  in  order  to  have  a  commanding  view  of  the 
cliffs,  while  Kennedy  searched  along  shore  ;  but  all  with- 
out success.     Ignorant  that  he  had  been  preceded  by 
Captain  Austin's   parties,  Kennedy  mistook  the  large 
cairn  they  had  erected  for  a  part  of  the  cliff,  and  actu- 
ally walked  over  a  smaller  one  deeply  covered  with  snow, 
without  for  a  moment  suspecting  that  the  spot  had  been 
previously  visited.     If  the  laige  cairns,  formed  by  the 
parties  of  Ommaney  and  Osborne  the  previous  spring, 
could  thus  bo  overlooked,  might  not  signals  erected  by 
Franklin  have  been  equally  undistinguishable  amid  the 
deep   snow  which  enveloped   this  bleak  and  rugged 
coast  ? 

Their  stock  of  provisions  now  getting  very  low,  Ken- 
nedy's party  were  obliged  to  go  on  short  allowance  ; 
and,  to  make  it  last  longer,  they  fed  the  dogs,  from  this 
time  forward,  on  "  old  leather  shoes,  and  flvg-ends  of 
buffalo  robes"  — on  which,  we  are  told,  "they  thrived 
wonderfully."  It  is  added  that  one  old  snarling  brute, 
who  had  received  the  name  of  Boatswain  from  the  men 
on  account  of  his  ill-nature,  "  never  seemed  thoroughly 
to  enjoy  his  meals  till  put  upon  a  course  of  old  shoes." 

From  this  time  the  men  grew  worse  and  worse  with 
scurvy  ;   but  were  much  revived  by  lighting  upon  a 


388 


KENNEDY'S  JOURNEY. 


M- 


Bmall  ddp6t  of  provibions,  which  hud  been  left  near 
Capo  McClintock  by  Sir  James  Rush,  in  1819.  This 
enabled  thorn  to  etart  again  with  vigor  fur  Whaler 
Point,  which  tliey  reached  on  tho  15th,  and  ut  which 
place  they  remained  until  the  2Tth,  making  free  use  of 
the  lime-juice,  cranberries,  etc.,  which  were  deposited 
there.  After  being  sufficiently  restored,  they  started 
on  their  return  to  tho  ship,  which  they  finally  reached 
on  the  30th  of  May,  having  been  absent  ninety-seven 
days,  during  which  time  six  men  with  live  dogs  had 
travelled  about  eleven  hundred  miles,  dragging,  for 
most  of  tho  way,  two  thousand  pounds'  weight,  sleep- 
ing in  snow-houses,  encamping  at  times  on  frozen  seas, 
and  rarely  having  fire  when  they  halted  to  recruit. 

The  travellers  found  that  all  had  gone  on  well  at 
Batty  Bay,  in  their  absence.  Nothing  now  remained 
but  to  get  tlie  ship  clear  of  ico  and  return  homo.  But 
there  was  little  as  yet  in  tho  appearance  of  ico  or  land 
to  indicate  that  Juno  had  returned,  except  the  falling  in 
of  some  of  the  snow-houses.  Gradually,  however,  tho 
fierce  glare  of  the  sun  began  to  make  itself  folt ;  and, 
on  the  6th  of  August,  after  some  sawing  and  blasting, 
tho  imprisoned  vessel  was  liberated.  On  the  19th  Ken- 
nedy reached  Beechey  Island,  where  he  found  tho  depot- 
sliip  North  Star,  attached  to  SirE.  Belcher's  expedition, 
engaged  in  sawing  into  winter  quarters.  On  the  Tth  of 
October,  1853,  tho  Prince  Albert  arrived  in  England. 

In  concluding  his  narrative,  Kennedy  remarks  of  tho 
young  Frenchman  who  was  associated  with  him,  and 
whoso  subsequent  fate,  in  connection  with  the  history 
of  Arctic  discovery,  is  interesting  :  "  To  Mr.  BoUot, 
my  constant  companion,  not  only  do  I  owe  the  most 
valuable  assistance  from  his  scientific  attaiimients,  but 
his  amial)lo  qualities  have  cemented  a  deep  personal 
regard;  which  can  only  end  with  my  life." 


ILVE'S  LAND  JOURNEY. 


389 


Meanwhile  researches  from  tl»e  North  American  coaBt 
were  renewed  by  Mr.  Rae.     Ho  left  Fort  Confidence,  on 
he  Co,,permi.ie,  April  25th,  1S51,  with  four  men  and 
hreo  sledges  drawn  by  dogs.     Rouclm:  j  the  coast  .May 
Ist,  he  fonnd  the  ice  favorable  for  travel.     On  the  5th 
he  landed  at  Douglas  Island,  and  on  the  7th  gained  the 
opposite   shore.     Traversing   it   to   the   oast,   until   ho 
reached  110»  W.  longitude,  where  his  survey  „,ot  that 
ol  Dease  and  Simpson,  he  retraced  his  steps,  and  ad- 
vanced  west  until  he  turned  Cape  Baring,  past  latitude 
70  ,    and   longitude    in»   W.      Fvum    some    elevated 
ground  m  this  neighborhood  high  land  could  be  seen 
to  the  north,  but  none  was  visible  to  the  west.     He  got 
back  to  his  provision  station  on  the  Ketidall  River  upon 
the  lOlh  of  June,  having  travelled  ei^ht  hundred  and 
twenty-four  geographical,  or  nine  hundred  and  forty- 
two  English  miles,  in  forty  days.     In  this  lengthened 
journey  his  arrangements  were  much  the  same  as  during 
his  survey  of  Committee  Bay.    He  slept  in  snow  houses, 
and.  as  he  advanced,  buried  provisions  to  servo  for  his 
return.     In  the  months  of  July  and  August  he  explored 
the  coast  of  Victoria  Land,  east  and  north,  in  boats- 
marking  every  indentation,  from  the  101st  to  the  llTth 
degreeof  longitude  — an  achievement,  under  the  circum. 
stances,  of  which  any  officer  might  be  proud.     On  this 
newly-discovered  coast  ho  met  many  parties  of  Esqui- 
maux ;  but  his  inquiries  as  to  the  grand  subject  were 
all  fruitless.     The  American  coast  had  now  been  dili- 
gently  examined,  from  the  entrance  of  Behring's  Strait 
to  the  head  of  Hudson's  Bay  ;  and  the  conclusion  was. 
tnat  Franklin  never  reached  so  low  a  latitude 


^^SSw' 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Um     BDWARD     nKLCHEIl'B     EXPRDITION. AlllllVAL     IM     DACKIN'H     HAT.— 

THB     AUEKICAN     WIIAUKB.  —  AKRIVAI-     AT   IIKKCIIKY     ISLAMO.  —  SBAllCB 

COBMKJtCKD. INOI.KI-|Kt,D'M     VOVAUK.  — TllllKK     UOKK     KXl'KDITruNH. — 

lllai,RKlKLI)'H    llKfL-llH NKWS    FIIOM    U'CLUIIK.  —  I'AllltV    AND    KIIAKK- 

LIN.— u'ci.iniK's     KXI'I.OHATIONR AI>VK.VTHUK8     WITH     KSVIl'IMADX. — 

PKItll.0U8  NAVUIATION.— lllSCOVBUr  OF  TUB  NOIITlI-WrHT  l'ASHA(iK,— 
PBRSONAL  I'KIULS. — AUUNDANCR  Of  OABK.  —  WlNTKIl  gOAIMKllB. — 
iLKOCE-PARTIKS.— STILL   FnoZKM    OP. PLA."»    OP   BgCAPB. 

The  iiiioxpcctca  and  somewliat  premature  return  of 
the  Bquadroiis  uiKk'r  cuminiuul  of  Captains  Austin  and 
Penny,  in  the  autumn  of  1851,  increased  the  universal 
desire  that  the  mysterious  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin's 
expedition  should  bo  thorougldy  investij^ated.  The 
interesting  details  brought  back  of  tiie  discovery  of 
Franklin's  winter  quarters  on  Beechcy  Island,  in  1S45- 
46,  revived  the  hopes  that  had  begun  to  fade  rapidly 
away.  The  opinion  of  those  engaged  in  the  sledging 
operations  of  1851,  that  the  missing  ships  had  pro- 
ceeded up  Wellington  Channel,  and  entered  the  open 
sea  discovered  by  Captain  Penny,  and  believed  by  him 
to  bo  the  great  polar  basin,  —  and  the  .nipposition  that 
the  lost  ones  might  still  be  imprisoned,  and  alive,  in  its 
gloomy  solitude  of  ice,  — all  tended  to  influence  the 
public  mind  in  favor  of  a  continuance  of  the  search. 

Accordingly,  in  the  spring  of  1852,  another  expedi- 
ti'in  — the  most  extensive  that  had  yet  sailed  for  tho 
polar  regions  — was  fitted  out,  and  placed  under  tho 
command  of  Sir  Edward  Belcher.  This  squailron  con- 
sisted of  five  vessels  —  tho  Assistance,  the  Resolute, 


SIR  EDWAllD   DKLCIIERS   EXI'EDITION.  Xfl 


tho   North  Star,   mid   two  Htt 


aiiicrs,   the    Piorioor  ixnd 


iiy,  pur- 


Intf(,-|)id.  Those  Hot  sail  in  April  for  JJallhi'H  J{..^ 
poHM.jr  to  make  Heochoy  UUmd  their  lioad-quurtorH, 
u'lioMco  the  vurioiifl  vuhhoIh  were  to  Het  out,  Heparately 
or  t..Kether,  as  migiit  bo  thought  hoHt,  to  search  tho 
neighljoring  coasts.  The  Assistance  and  Pioneer  wero 
directed  to  sail  up  \V..llington  Churuiel.  under  tho  com- 
>"and  ..r  Sir  Kdu-ard  H,.h.hor.  The  other  two  wore  to 
proceed,  unih-r  Captain  Keliett,  to  Melville  Island,  there 
to  dejx.sit  provisions  for  the  use  of  Captain  C.llinson 
fttid  Commander  M'Clure,  should  these  gentlomon  bq 
Buccessfnl  in  making  the  passage  from  Hehring's  Strait," 
for  which  they  had  set  sail,  it  will  bo  rememb.Ted,  in 
January.  1850.  Tho  North  Star  was  to  remain  at 
iJci'cl  ey  Island,  as  a  depftt  store-ship. 

The  squadron  sailed  from  England  on  the  28th  April, 
18r,L>.  On  the  (ith  of  July  it  was  making  its  way  through' 
the  ice  in  Baflin's  Bay,  in  company  with  a  fleet  of 
whalers,  which  wore  there  beset.  Caught  at  the  head 
of  a  bight  in  the  ice,  with  the  Assistance  and  the  Pio- 
neer, tho  Keaoluto  was,  for  the  emergency,  docked 
there  :  and,  by  the  ico  closing  behind  her,  was  for  a 
while  detained.  Meanwhile  tho  rest  of  the  fleet, 
whah'rs  and  discovery  ships,  passed  on  by  a  little  lane 
of  water,  the  American  whaler  McLcllan  leading. 

The  North  Star,  of  the  English  squadron,  followed  the 
AfcLellan.  A  long  train  stretched  out  behind,  —  whalera 
and  gnvernment  ships,  as  they  happened  to  fall  into  lino, 
—  a  long  throe  quarters  of  a  mile.  It  was  lovely  weather,' 
ami,  though  the  long  lane  closed  up  so  that  they 
could  neither  go  back  nor  forward,  nobody  appie- 
hendod  injury,  till  it  was  announced,  on  the  morning  of 
the  Tth,  that  tho  McLellan  was  nipped  in  tho  ice,  and 
her  crew  were  deserting  her.  Sir  Edward  Belcher  sent 
his  carpenters  to  examine  her,  put  a  few  charges  of 


"m 


392 


SIR  EDAVARD  BELCHER'S  EXPEDITION. 


powder  in  the  ice  to  relieve   the  pressure  upon   her, 
and  by  the  end  of  the  day  it  was  agreed  that  her  injuries 
could  be  repaired,  and  her  crew  went  on  board  again. 
But  the  next  morning  there  was  a  fresh  wind,  tiie  Mc- 
Lellan  was  caught  again,  and  the  water  poured  into  her, 
a  steady  stream.    She  drifted  about,  unmanageable,  now 
into  one  ship,  now  into  another ;  and  the  English  whale- 
men began  to  pour  on  board,  to  help  themselves  to  such 
plunder  as  they  chose.     At  the  captain's  request,  Sir 
Edward  Belcher,  to  put  an  end  to  this,  sent  sentries  on 
board  ;  and  ho  also  sent  working  parties,  to  clear  her  as 
far  as  might  be,  and  keep  account  of  her  stores.     In  a 
day  or  two  more  she  sank  to  the  water's  edge,  and  a 
charge   or  two  of  powder  put  her  out  of  the  way  of 
harming  the  rest  of  the  fleet.     After  such  a  week  spent 
together,   it   will   easily  be  understood  that   the  New 
London  whalemen  did  not  feel  strangers  on  board  one 
of  Sir  Edward's  vessels,  when,  as  we  shall  see,  they 
found  her  "  ready  for  occupation,"  three  years  and  more 
afterwards. 

On  the  10th  August  the  squadron  reached  its  ap- 
pointed  head-quarters  at  Beechey  Island.  The  season 
was  remarkably  open  ;  Wellington  Channel  and  Bar- 
row's Straits  were  equally  clear  of  ice.  On  the  Uth  Sir 
E.  Belcher,  with  the  Assistance  and  Pioneer,  stood  up  the 
channel  :  and  the  following  day  Capt.  Kellett,  with  the 
Resolnte  and  Intrepid,  sailed  in  open  water  for  Melville 
Island.  In  this  position  we  leave  the  expedition  for  the 
present,  and  proceed  to  give  au  account  of  the  next  that 
entered  the  field. 

In  consoquence  of  the  report,  set  afloat  by  Sir  John 
Ross,  on  the  authority  of  his  Esquimaux  interpreter, 
that  Fratd<lin  and  his  crews  had  been  murdered,  by  the 
natives,  at  Wolstenholme  Sound,  Lady  Franklin  refitted 
the  Isabel  screw-steamer,  and  sent  her  out,  under  Com- 


INGLEFIELD'S  EXPEDITION.  SQ-J 

maiidei-  Inglefield,  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  the  story 
Ingloficld  sailed  from  England  on  the  6th  July   185^ 
coasted  the  northern  shores  of  Baffin's  Bay  ;  advanced 
much  further  up  Whale  Sound  than  any  previous  navi 
gator,  -  finding,  as  he  proceeded,  an  immense  expanse  of 
open  water  ;  and  pushed  through  Sn.ith's  Sound  as  far 
as  latitude  78"  28'  21"  north,  without  discovering  any 
opposing   land.      Instead  of  the    narrow   strait  which 
bnnths  Sound  has  usually  been  thought,  Captain  Ingle- 
field  found  it  about  thirty-six  miles  across,  expanding 
considerably  as  it  extended  northward.     The  sea  was 
open -that  is,  free  from  islands,  except  one  looming  in 
the  extreme  distance,  to  which  the  discoverer  gave  the 
name   of   Louis   Napoleon.*     From   appearances,    the 
leader  of  the  expedition  inferred  that  he  had  reached  a 
more  genial  climate  than  that  of  Baffin's  Bay  ;  instead 
of  the  eternal  snow  which  he  had  left  behind,  the  rocka 
appeared  of  their  natural  color.    There  was  ice,  indeed 
and  in   pretty  large  quantities  ;  some  of  the  mariners 
conceived  they  saw  an  ice-blink  to  the  north  ;  but  the 
captain  thought  he  could  steam  through.     A  gale,  how- 
ever,  arose,  which,  increasing  in  violence,  fairly  blew 
them  back -perhaps  providentially,  for  they  were  not 
well  fitted  to  winter  in  those  high  latitudes,  with  the 
probability  of  being  held  fast  fur  an  indefinite  time 

"It  was  deemed,  by  every  one  on  board,  madness  tc 
attempt  a  landing;  and  thus,"  says  Inglefield,  "  I  was 
forced  to  relinquish  those  desires  ere  we  bore  up,  which. 

•  "  An  island  similar  in  position  to  that  de.ignatcl  by  Capt.  Ingleneld 
a«  LOU.S  Napoleon  does  not  ezist.  The  land  lighted  in  that  direction 
may  have  been  the  top  of  a  high  mountain  on  the  north  side  of  Franklin 
1  leioo  I!ay,  thougl,  this  supposition  rciuires  us  to  assume  an  error  in  the 
t)('anng  ;  f„r,  as  given  in  the  chart,  no  land  could  be  within  the  rang, 
«.t  Hght.  In  deference  to  Capt.  Inglefield,  I  have  continued  for  thi..  prom- 
ontory  the  nan.e  vvMich  he  had  impressed  upon  it  as  an  island."-  K,„>.', 
Karrauve  oj  th.  iSiconri  Gnnndl  Expedition,  vol.  i.,  pa-o  in 


394 


INQLEFIELD'S  EXPEDITION. 


with  the  heavy  gale  that  now  blew,  was  the  most  pn> 
dent  step  I  could  take.  The  rest  of  the  2'7th  and  the 
following  day  were  spent  in  reaching,  under  snug  sail, 
on  either  tack,  whilst  the  pitiless  northerly  gale  drove 
the  sleet  and  snow  into  our  faces,  and  rendered  it  pain 
ful  work  to  watch  for  the  icebergs,  that  we  were  contin- 
ually passing.  On  this  account,  I  could  not  heave  the 
ship  to,  as  the  difficulty  of  discerning  objects  rendered 
it  imperative  that  she  should  be  kept  continually  under 
full  command  of  the  helm.  The  temperature,  25",  and 
the  continual  freezing  of  the  spray,  as  it  broke  over  the 
vessel,  combined  with  the  slippery  state  of  the  decks 
from  the  sleet  that  fell  and  the  ice  which  formed  from 
the  salt  water,  made  all  working  of  ropes  and  sails  not 
only  disagreeable,  but  almost  impracticable  ;  so  that  I 
was  not  sorry  when  the  wind  moderated. 

"  By  four  a.  m.,  of  ihe  29th,  it  fell  almost  to  a  calm  ; 
but  a  heavy  swell,  the  thick  fog  and  mist  remaining, 
precluded  our  seeing  any  distance  before  us  ;  and  thus 
we  imperceptibly  drew  too  near  the  land-pack  off  the 
western  shore,  so  that,  a  little  after  Mr.  Abernethy  had 
come  on  deck,  in  the  morning  watch,  I  was  called  up, 
as  he  said  that  the  ship  was  drifting  rapidly  into  the 
ice.  Soon  on  dock,  I  found  tliat  there  was  no  question 
on  that  score  ;  for  even  now  the  loose  pieces  were  all 
round  us,  and  the  swell  was  rapidly  lifting  the  ship  fur- 
ther into  the  pack,  whilst  the  roar  of  waters,  surging 
on  the  vast  floe-pieces,  gave  us  no  very  pleasant  idea 
of  what  would  be  our  flite  if  we  were  fairly  entrapped 
in  this  frightful  chaos.  The  whale-boat  was  lowered, 
and  a  feeble  eflbrt  made  to  get  her  head  oil"  shore  ;  but 
still  ir.  we  went,  plunging  and  surging  amongst  the 
crushing  masses. 

"  While  I  was  anxiously  watching  the  screw,  upon 
whicli  all  our  IiDpes  were  now  centred,  I  ordered  the 


INGLEFIELD'S  EXPEDITION.  395 

boiler,  which  had  been  under  repair,  and  was  partly 
disconnected,  to  be  rapidly  secured,  the  fires  to  be 
>gh  ed,  and  to  get  up  the  steam  ;  in  tke  mean  Le  the 
tackles  were  got  up  for  hoisting  out  our  long-boat  and 
every  preparation  was  made  for  the  worst.  ^E^Ll'm 

toned  w,th  h,s  utmost  might ;  ice-anchors  were  laid  out 
and  hawsers  got  upon  either  bow  and  quarter,  to  keep 
the  sh,p  from  driving  further  in;  but  two  ho^rs  mus^ 
alapse  before  we  could  expect  the  use  of  the  enl 
Eager  were  the  inquiries  when  unll  the  steam  be Tv 
and  wood  and  blubber  were  heaped  in  the  furnace  to  get 
up  tue  greatest  heat  we  could  command. 

''At  last  the  engineer  reported  all  was  ready;  and 
then,   warpnig  the  ship's  head  round  to  seaward    we 
screwed  ahead  with  great  caution  ;  and  at  last  found 
ourselves  through  God's  providence  and  mercy,  relieved 
from  our  difficulties.     It  was  a  time  of  the  deepest  su' 
pense  to  me  ;  the  lives  of  my  men  and  the  success  of  en  r 
expedition  depended  entirely  on  the  safety  of  the  screw 
and  thus  I  watched,  with  intense  anxiety,  the  pieces  of' 
ice,  as  we  drifted  slowly  past  them;  ani,  pasl'th 
word  to  the  engineer,  <  Ease  her,'  'Stop  her,'     ,1    h 
huge  masses  dropped  into  the  wake,  we  succeeded  with 
much  difficulty,  in  saving  the  screw  from  any  sei  ou 

Dnght  from  abrasion  against  the  ice  " 

Besides   penetrating  one   hundred   and   forty   miles 
urther  than  previous  navigators,  and  finding  an  op«n 
ea   sretcnng  northwards,   from   Baffin's   Bay,  to  a 
ease  latitude  of  8O0,  Captain  Inglefield  diLv  L^d 
Strl  an  "   IT     "^'''  "'^^'   ^«   "*--'    ^"-hison 
a.y  to  Greenland.      I„   addition  to  the  shores  of  the 
polar  basin,  he  more  accurately  surveyed  the  eastern 


■  t 


396 


THREE   MORE  EXPEDITIONS. 


iido  of  Baffin's  Bay,  from  Carey's  Islands  to  Cape  Ale* 
ander,  ollon  remaining  on  deck  the  four-and-twenty 
hours  round  —  for  night  there  was  none.  lie  entered 
Jones's  Sound,  but  was  stopped  by  the  ice,  and  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  there  is  no  available  channel  from 
the  sound  into  tlie  polar  basin,  though  there  is  possibly 
some  narrow  frozen  strait.  Inglefield  then  made  for 
Beechey  Island,  where  he  arrived  on  the  Uh  September, 
and  where  he  met  the  North  Star,  the  depot  ship  of  the 
Admiralty  expedition.  Thence,  after  a  short  delay,  he 
shaped  his  course  homeward.  In  spite  of  the  advancing 
season,  he  examined  a  considerable  part  of  the  western 
coast  of  Baffin's  Bay  ;  and,  though  sorely  beset  on  more 
than  one  occasion,  managed  to  get  tiirough,  and  reached 
Stromness  on  the  4th  of  November  —  exactly  four 
months  from  the  date  of  his  departure  from  Woolwich. 

It  is  hardly  nccessarj'^  to  add  that  Inglefield's  investi- 
gations established  the  utter  falsity  of  the  story  told 
by  Sir  John  Ross's  int^'rpreter. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1853  three  expeditions 
were  fitted  out,  partly  to  continue  the  search  for  Frank- 
lin, and  partly  to  reinforce  the  vessels  already  in  the 
field  of  action.  The  Rattlesnake,  under  Commander 
Trullope,  and  the  Isabel  screw-steamer  —  again  refitted 
by  Lady  Franklin,  and  placed  under  the  command  of 
Mr.  Kennedy  —  sailed  for  Behring's  Strait,  in  order  to 
carry  supplies  to  Captains  CoUinson  and  M'Clure.  Mr. 
Rae  was  again  despatched  to  the  Isthmus  of  Boothia,  to 
make  a  further  examination  of  the  coast  in  that  quarter  ; 
and  Commander  Inglefield  was  sent  to  Barrow's  Straits, 
with  the  Phwnix  and  the  Lady  Franklin,  to  reinforca 
tiie  squadron  under  Sir  E.  Belciier.  Mr.  Griimell,  of 
New  York,  aided  by  Mr.  Peabody,  of  London,  also  fitted 
out  an  expedition,  under  the  command  of  Dr.  E.  K. 
Kane,  and  sent  it  ta  explore  the  passages  leading  out 


TIDINGS  OF  M'CLURE. 


397 


of  Baffin's  Baj    into  the   unknown  ocean   around   the 
pole. 

In  the  autumn  >n853  the  deep  interest  of  the  British 
nation  was  arouse i  by  the  return  of  Captain  Inglefield, 
in  the  Phoenix,  with  despatches  conveying  the  intelli- 
gence that  the  north-west  passage  had  at  length  been 
discovered  by  Captain  M'Clure,  of  the  Investigator,  who 
had  passed  through  Behring's  Strait,  and  sailed  to 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  most  westerly  discoveries 
made  from  the  eastern  side  of  America,  at  which  point 
he  had  been  frozen  up  for  more  than  two  years,  and 
where  his  ship  still  lay,  unable  to  advance  or  to  retreat. 
No  vessel  had  yet  made  the  entire  passage  ;  but,  from 
the  two  extreme  points  of  discovery,  on  either  side, 
parties  from  the  Investigator  had  walked  over  the  frozen 
ocean  ;  and  one  gentleman  —  namely,  Lieut.  Cresswell, 
the  bearer  of  despatches  from  Captain  M'Clure  — had 
sailed  from  England,  entered  Behring's  Strait,  and 
returned  again  to  England  by  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  hav- 
ing thus  passed  through  the  long-sought  north-west 
passage. 

This  interesting  intelligence,  coupled  with  the  an- 
nouncement of  M'Clure's  safety,  concerning  which  much 
anxiety  had  begun  to  be  felt,  was  joyfully  received  ; 
and  Lieut.  Cresswell,  the  bearer  of  the  good  news,  was 
treated  with  marked  attention  in  England.  At  a  public 
dinner,  given  him  in  his  native  town  of  Lynn,  Sir  Edward 
Parry,  who  was  present,  made  some  remarks  on  the 
probable  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  which  will  be  read 
svith  interest  in  tliis  connection  : 

"  While  we  are  rejoicing  over  the  return  of  our  friend, 
and  the  probable  return  of  his  shipmates,  we  cannot  but 
turn  to  that  wliich  is  not  a  matter  of  rejoicing,  but  rather 
a  matter  of  sorrow  and  regret  — that  there  has  not  been 
found  a  single  token  of  our  dear  long-lost  Franklin  and 


398 


SIR  EDWARD   TARRVb   OPINIONS. 


his  companions.  Not  only  has  tliivt  been  the  case  in  tlii 
expoditiiHi  in  wliicli  Lieut.  Gurncy  Crcsswcl!  lias  been 
ongaj^cd,  but  1  understand  it  to  be  the  case  with  Sir 
Edward  iJeleher,  who  has  gone  up  the  Wellington  Inlet, 

t  be  found,  because 


•cs 


where  1  certainly  thou;.'Ii' 
at   Beeehcy  Island  wo  .. ■  •anklin   passed  the   in-ht 

winter  when  he  went  out.  ere  we  found  three  graves 
of  his  men,  —  and  that  is,  up  to  the  present  moment, 
the  oidy  token  whatever  we  have  received  of  him.  I 
do  consider  it  a  most  mysterious  thing,  and  I  have 
thought  of  it  as  much  as  anybody.  I  can  form  but  a 
single  idea  of  the  probable  fate  of  I'^'ranklin.  1  do  not 
agree  with  our  friend  Gurney  Cresswell  about  the  prob- 
ability of  both  ships  having  gone  down,  and  nothing 
been  seen  of  them,  because,  although  it  is  true  that 
nothing  might  have  been  seen  of  the  ships  themselves, 
1  do  not  believe  the  crews  would  have  all  perished 
at  one  moment.  1  think  there  is  that  stuff  and 
stamina  in  one  hundred  and  thirty  Englishmen,  that, 
somehow  or  other,  they  would  have  maintained  thein- 
selvbs  as  well  as  a  parcel  of  Esquimau.x  would.  They 
would  have  found  the  Esquimaux,  and  there  would  have 
been  something  like  a  trace  of  them,  if  they  had  been  on 
earth.  Tiie  only  thing  which  1  can  suggest  is  this  : 
Wellington  Strait  was  discovered  by  myself,  t)n  the 
expedition  1  spoke  of.  It  is  a  large  opening  irom  Lan 
*«ister  Sound. 

"  When  I  was  going  up  westward  from  Melville 
Island,  we  saw  Wellington  Strait  perfectly  free  from 
ice,  and  so  1  mark<"d  it  on  my  chart.  It  was  not  my 
business  to  go  north  as  long  as  1  could  get  west,  and, 
therefore,  we  ran  |)ast  and  did  not  examine  it  ;  but  it 
has  always  been  a  favorite  idea  of  those  who  imagined 
that  the  north-west  passage  was  to  be  easily  made  by 
going  north.     That,  we  know,  was  the  favorite  \ii«!i  of 


I    I 


BIB  EDWARD  PARRY'S  OPINIONS. 


101 


Franklin  ;  and  we  know  he  did  intend,  if  he  ?ould  not 
get  westward,  to  go  up  Wellington  Channel.  We  have 
it  from  his  own  lips.  My  belief  is  still  that,  after  the 
first  winter,  he  did  go  up  that  channel ;  and  that,  having 
Btoum  power  (which  I  had  not  in  my  time),  it  is  possible 
ho  may  have  gone  up  in  a  favorable  season ;  for  you 
cannot  imagine  anything  more  different  than  a  favorable 
and  an  unfavorable  season  in  those  regions.  You  oau- 
uot  imagine  the  changes  that  take  place  in  the  ice  there. 
I  have  been  myself  sometimes  beset  for  two  or  three 
days  together  by  the  ice,  in  such  a  way  that  from  the 
mast-head  I  could  not  see  suflacient  wa  er  to  float  that 
bottle  in  ;  and  in  twenty-four  hours  the.  was  not  a  bit 
of  i<Je  to  be  seen  —  nobody  could  tell  why  —  I  cannot 
tell  why  ;  and  you  might  have  sailed  about  as  you  may 
in  your  own  river,  as  far  as  ice  is  concerned. 

"Therefore,  in  a  favorable  season  he  may  have  gone 
up  that  inlet,  and  may,  by  the  power  of  steam  and 
favorable  circumstances,  have  got  so  far  to  the  north- 
east that,  in  an  ordinary  season,  he  could  not  get  back 
again.  And  those  who  knew  Franklin  know  thifl  — 
that  he  would  push  on,  year  after  year,  so  long  as  his 
provisions  lasted.  Nothing  could  stop  him.  lie  was 
not  the  man  to  look  back,  if  he  believed  the  thing  was 
still  possible.  He  may  have  got  beyond  the  reach  of 
our  searching  parties  ;  for  Sir  Edward  Belcher  has  not 
been  able  to  get  far  up,  and  we  have  not  been  able  to 
get  the  investigation  completed.  In  epeaking  of  Frank- 
lin, every  one  will  feel  sorrow  for  his  probable  fate. 
My  dear  friend  Franklin  was  sixty  years  old  when  he 
left  this  country  ;  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  zeal,  the 
almost  youthful  enthusiasm,  with  which  thatman  entered 
upon  that  expedition.  Lord  Haddington,  who  was  then 
first  lord  of  the  Admiralty,  sent  for  me,  and  said,  '  I 
Bee,  by  looking  at  the  navy-list,  that  Franklin  is  sixty 
26 


!  ; 


402 


M'CLURE'S  EXPLORATIONS. 


'0: 


:F: 


ii  >i 


V.I 


years  old  :  do  you  think  wo  ought  to  lot  him  go  ?  *  i 
said,  '  He  is  a  litter  man  to  go  tliaii  any  I  know  ;  and  if 
you  don't  let  him  go,  the  man  will  die  of  disappoint 
ment.'  lie  did  go,  and  has  been  gone  eight  years  ;  and, 
therefore,  I  leave  to  yourselves  to  con  sider  what  is  the 
probability  of  the  life  of  that  excellent  and  valuable  man. 
In  the  whole  course  of  my  experience  I  have  never 
known  a  man  like  ^Vanklin.  1  do  uot  say  it  because  he 
is  dead  —  upon  tt:  principle  de  mo7iuis  nil  nisi  bonum ; 
but  1  never  knew  a  man  in  whom  diflerent  qualities 
were  so  remarkably  combined.  In  my  dear  friend 
Franklin,  with  all  the  tenderness  of  heart  of  a  simple 
child,  there  was  all  the  greatness  and  magnanimity  of  a 
hero." 

To  this  touching  tribute,  from  the  lips  of  a  fellow- 
navigator,  we  append  the  following  beautiful  lines, 
quoted  by  a  writer  in  one  of  the  British  quarterly  re- 
views : 

"  Whore  is  h«  7  —  wbere  7    Silence  and  (larkDest  dwell 
About  him  ;  aa  t  soul  cut  off  from  men  : 
Shall  wo  behold  him  yot  a  citizen 
Of  mortal  life?     Will  ho  return  to  toll 
(Prisoner  from  Winter's  very  citadel 
Broken  forth)  wliat  ho  before  has  told,  again 
How  to  the  hearts  and  handa  of  resolute  men, 
God  aiding,  nothing  is  impossible  ? 

Alas  !  the  enclosure  of  the  stony  wave 
Is  strong,  and  dark  the  depths  of  polar  night ; 

Vet  One  there  is  omnipotent  to  save. 

And  this  wo  know,  if  comfort  still  we  crave, 
Into  that  dark  he  took  with  him  a  light  — 

The  lamp  that  can  illuminate  the  grave." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Captains  Collinson  and 
M'Clure  sailed  for  Behring's  Strait  in  1850,  through 
which,  in  connection  with  the  Plover  and  Herald,  the/ 
endeavored  to  pass,  but  without  success,  except  in  tl« 
case  of  the  Investigator  (Captain  M'Clure),  which  waa 


M'CLURE-a  L'XPLORATIONSI. 


403 


Been  on  the  4th  August,  1S50,  bearing  gallantly  into 
tho  heart  of  the  "polar  pack."  The  EnteipiiHe  (Cap. 
tain  ColliuHon),  finding  it  impossible  to  follow,  sailed  to 
llong-Koiig,  and  vviiitor"d  there  ;  but  in  Alay,  1851, 
returned  to  Behring's  Strait,  and  succeeded  in  entor- 
ing  tho  ice.  Tho  Plover  remained  at  Port  Clarence,  as 
a  reserve  for  these  two  vessels  to  lall  back  upon,  while 
the  Herald  returned  to  England.  From  that  date 
nothing  was  heard  of  these  two  vessels,  until  the  arrival 
of  tho  Phoenix,  with  the  despatches  of  Captain  M'Clure, 
bringing  assurance  of  the  safety  of  tho  Investigator. 

(  n  parting  company  with  the  Herald  in  llehring's 
Strait,  in  July,  1850,  Captain  M'Clure  stood  to  the 
north  north-west,  with  a  fresh  breeze,  with  tho  intention 
of  making  the  ice,  which  was  accomplished  on  the  2d 
of  August.  During  several  days  tiie  Invjstigator  battled 
with  tho  foe  — now  boring  through  densely-packed 
masses,  and  then  winding  among  the  lanes  which 
opened  here  and  there  as  the  currents  or  winds  acted 
upon  the  pack.  Occasionally  they  struck  with  consid- 
erable violence,  but  succeeded,  at  length,  in  rounding 
Point  IJarrow,  and  discovered  clear  water  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  Tth  — so  far  ahead,  however,  that  it  could 
only  be  soon  from  the  "  crow's  nest." 

Hundreds  of  walruses  were  seen  huddled  together  on 
the  ice,  like  sheep  in  a  fold.  M'Clure  seems  to  have 
been  rather  favorably  impressed  in  regard  to  these  ani- 
mals, on  account  of  the  aflection  shown  by  the  mothers 
for  their  young.  He  would  not  allow  them  to  be  sliot. 
The  most  remarkable  feature  of  the  walrus  consists  in 
two  tenth,  or  tusks,  which  project  in  a  curved  line  fiom 
the  upper  jaw,  and  are  nearly  two  feet  in  length.  Tnoy 
are  of  beautiful  wliite  bone,  almost  equal  to  ivory,  and 
much  used  in  the  fabrication  of  artificial  teeth.  '  The 
front  face,  when  seen  at  a  little  distance,  bears  a  striking 


t 


J 

ll 

iSJ 

it-aH 


1' 

Hi 

■ill 

i 

to 

1 

404 


M'CLURE'8  EXPLORATIONS 


roHcmblunJC  to  the  human  ;  and  its  appearance  w  bu» 
pcctod  to  have  BometimcH  given  liso  to  th«  fanciful 
reports  of  •norniaida  in  the  northern  seas.     Tlio  walrus 
is  monogamous,  and  the  mother  -.ringH  forth  her  young 
only  ono  at  a  birth,  either  on  tho  shore  or  on  the  ice. 
Like  all  the  cetaceous  tribes,  to  which  tho  walrus  in 
allied,  ho   is   disposed  to   bo  peaceful   and   harmless. 
Tarry  describes  tho  supine  security  with  which  a  num- 
bur  of  them  lay  on  tho  ico,  piled  over  each  other,  with- 
out discomposing  themselves  at  tho  approach  of  a  party 
armed  for  their  destruction.     In  Spitzbergen,  however, 
where  they  have  been  long  the  object  of  chase  to  tho 
Ilussian  hunters,  they  aro  reported  to  keep  very  strict 
watch ;    it  being    said   that   one    stands    guard  while 
the  others  sleep.     Even  when  sensible  of  danger,  they 
aro  not  forward  to  face  it,  but  rather  shun  the  attack  by 
rushing  beneath  the  ice,  while  those  behind,  with  their 
tusks,  urge  forward  their  companions.    Yet,  when  thoy 
arc  compelled  to  combat,  they  give  battle  with   the 
utmost  coolness  and  courage  ;  they  then  stand  firm  by 
each  other,  rush  in  one  united  body  against  the  boats 
(as  in  tho  attack  on  tho  Trent's  boat,  page  71),  and,  ijtrik- 
ing  with  their  tusks,  endeavor  to  overset  them.     When 
repulsed,  too,  they  repeatedly  rally,  and  in  the  end 
yield  only  to  the  fire-arms  of  Europeans,  or  to  the  strat- 
agems of  the  Esquimaux.     Maternal   tenderness,  and 
the  determination  with  which  the  female  defends  her 
young,  are  equally  conspicuous  in  them  as  in  the  whale 
species.     The  walrus  must  live  near  open  water. 

"The  wind,"  writes  McClure,  "  almost  immediately 
failing,  tho  boats  were  all  manned,  and  towing  com- 
menced amid  songs  and  cheers,  which  continued,  with 
unabated  good-humor,  for  six  hours.  Being  in  perfectly 
clear  water  in  Smith's  Bay,  a  light  air  springing  up,  we 
workc.l  to  tho  eastward.     At  two  a.  m.  of  the  8th,  being 


I 


M'CLURE'8  EXPLORATIONS. 


405 


off  Point  Drew,  I  sent  Mr.  Court  (hccoikI  muster)  on  fihore 
to  orcct  a  cairn,  and  bury  a  notice  of  our  having  passea. 
Upon  landing,  wo  were  met  by  three  natives,  who  at 
firHt  wore  very  timid  ;  but,  upon  exchanging  bigns  of 
friendBhip,  which  conBisted  of  raising  the  arms  three 
times  over  the  head,  they  approaclied  the  boat,  and, 
after  the  pleasant  salutation  of  rubbing  noses,  became 
very  communicativo ;  when,  by  the  assistance  of  oui 
valuable  interpreter,  Mr.  Miertsching,  we  found  tiio 
tribe  consisted  of  ten  tents  (this  being  the  only  approach 
to  their  numbers  ho  could  obtain) ;  that  they  had  an-ived 
only  three  days  previously,  and  that  they  hold  commu- 
nication with  a  party  inland,  who  trade  with  the  Russian 
Fur  Company."  They  had  observed  us  the  evening 
before,  and  had  thought  our  masts  wore  trees  in  motion, 
and  wondered  at  the  sight. 

The  natives  seen  hero  had  spent  their  lives  between 
the  Coppermine  River  and  Poini,  Barrow ;  and,  from  the 
circumstances  of  their  not  'laving  met  with  any  of 
Franklin's  party,  M'Cluro  ooncludes  that  the  latter 
could  not  have  been  lost  on  these  shores.  "  The  coast," 
Bays  h'  "  is  inhabited  throughout,  and  the  natives  are, 
to  all  appearance,  a  kind  and  merry  race ;  and,  when 
we  gave  them  presents,  through  the  medium  of  the 
interpreter,  we  told  them  that  we  were  looking  for  our 
lost  brothers,  and  if  they  saw  any  white  men  in  distress 
thoy  were  to  be  very  kind  ;  to  which  they  assented  by 
saying  that  they  would,  and  would  give  them  '  plenty 
of  deer's  flesh.'  " 

So  narrow  was  the  passage  of  open  water  between 
the  ice  and  the  shore,  along  which  the  Investigator  had 
to  pass,  that  she  had  great  difficulty  sometimes  in  tack- 
ing, —  requiring  to  do  bo,  in  some  places,  nearly  every 
ten  minutes ;  and,  on  one  occasion,  they  actually  took 
the  ground  while  "  in  stays."     Fortunately  the  bottom 


Mil'': 


406 


M'CLURE'S  EXPLORATIONS. 


was  soft  clay,  and  thoy  hove  off  again  immediately 
Gradually,  however,  the  lane  widened,  the  reaclioa 
became  longer  and  longer,  and  all  apprehension  of  being 
forced  on  shore  was  soon  over.  On  the  10th  of  August, 
1850,  they  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Colville  River,  the 
influence  of  which  stream  was  found  to  extend  twelve 
or  fourteen  miles  out  to  sea ;  the  surface,  at  that  dis- 
tance from  shore,  being  of  a  dirty  mud-color,  and 
scarcely  salt. 

At  this  part  of  the  coast  they  again  fell  in  with 
natives,  who  came  off  in  two  baidars,  to  the  number  of 
thirty.  A  very  animated  and  curious  scene  ensued.  A 
vigorous  barter  was  immediately  commenced,  after  the 
curiosity  of  the  wondering  Esquimau.x  with  regard  to 
the  ship  was  satisfied.  Tlieir  imitative  propensity  was 
rather  oddly  brought  into  play  during  the  traflic.  See- 
ing the  sailors  cut  the  tobacco  into  pieces,  to  give  in 
exchange  for  salmon-trout,  they  at  onco  began  to  do 
the  same  with  the  fish  !  but  were  soon  checked  in  this, 
and  were  obliged  to  succumb  to  the  white  men. 

During  the  afternoon,  while  standing  along  a  low  flat 
island,  a  pair  of  seal-skin  iaexpiessibles  were  observed 
fluttering  from  the  top  of  a  pole,  held  up  by  a  number 
of  natives,  who  took  this  method  of  intimating  their 
desire  to  receive  a  visit.  In  obedience  to  the  signal, 
the  boats  were  lowered,  and  pulled  in  to  the  shore. 
The  Esquimaux  appeared  to  regret  their  temerity,  how 
ever ;  for,  on  the  near  approach  of  the  sailors,  the  inex 
pressibles  were  dropped,  and  the  whole  tribe  fled.  Ai 
usual,  however,  they  regained  courage  on  observing  thi 
friendly  gesticulations  of  the  white  men,  and  soor. 
approached  them,  tossing  up  their  arms,  and  makii.g 
other  signs  of  friendship ;  ending,  at  last,  by  rubbing 
noses  with,  and  affectionately  embracing,  the  gallant 
tars. 


M'CLURE'S  EXPLORATIONS. 


407 


These  poor  people  had  never  seen  white  men  before : 
they  had  no  article  of  European  manuiUcture  about  theii 
persons,  and  spent  their  lives  in  hunting  walruses  and 
seals  on  these  low  islands  during  the  summer  months, 
retiring  to  their  warnt  residences  on  the  mainland  during 
winter.  After  holding  some  communication  with  them, 
through  the  medium  of  the  interpreter,  Captain  M'Clura 
left  them,  having  first  made  them  a  few  presents,  and, 
among  other  things,  a  boat's  ensign,  in  commemoration 
of  the  first  man-of-war  whose  flag  has  floated  over  these 
sterile  regions.  The  magnificence  of  this  latter  gift 
quite  astounded  them,  and  caused  them  to  rush  tumult- 
uously  to  their  canoes  to  carry  it  olT  to  their  women, 
who  were  encamped  on  another  island  close  at  hand. 

Some  of  these  primitive  people  were  apparently 
addicted  to  stealing.  While  M'Clure  was  placing  some 
presents  in  the  right  hand  of  a  chief,  in  token  of  good 
will,  he  felt  the  fellow's  left  hand  in  his  pocket.  The 
Esquimaux,  however,  laughed  heartily  when  they  were 
caught  in  their  thefts ;  and  so  the  Englishmen  thought 
best  to  do  the  same,  and  not  allow  peccadilloes  to  mar 
the  harmony  of  their  intercourse. 

Coasting  along,  as  they  found  opportunity,  the  voy- 
agers advanced  slowly  —  sometimes  with  much  and  some- 
times with  little  water  —  till  the  morning  of  the  13th 
when  the  ice  closed  round,  and  hemmed  them  in  com- 
pletely. In  this  dilemma,  the  boats  were  sent  to  sound, 
and  shortly  returned,  reporting  a  practicable  passage  in 
three  fathoms  water  Unfortunately,  they  hit  on  a  spot 
with  only  two  and  a  half  fathoms,  and  so  were  soon  fast 
ag'-ound.  As  it  turned  out,  however,  the  bottom  was 
sandy,  so  that  no  damage  was  done  to  the  ship  ;  but 
ot"j  of  the  whale-boats,  which  contained  part  of  the 
ciM-^o  taken  out  to  lighten  the  vessel,  upset,  and  tleven 
susks  jf  salt  beef  were  lost.     This  was  a  serious  lose  at 


"'''"'  pm 


408 


M'CLURE'8  EXPLORATIONS. 


such  a  time.     After  five  hours'  hard  work,  they  got 
once  more  into  deep  water. 

In  this  way  they  continued  to  coast  along  the  margin 
of  the  pack  for  about  four  or  five  hundred  miles,  when 
it  became  somewhat  more  open.  It  was  now  resolved 
to  shape  a  course  to  the  north-north-west  for  Banks's 
Land.  In  doing  this,  however,  they  were  frequently 
obliged  to  alter,  and  often  to  retrace  their  course,  owing 
to  the  deceptive  nature  of  the  lanes  of  water,  and  the 
perplexing  fogs  that  constantly  prevailed,  obliging  them 
to  proceed  chiefly  by  soundings. 

On  the  2l8t  of  August  they  passed  the  mouth  of  the 
Mackenzie  River,  and  made  the  Pelly  Islands.  Soon 
after,  they  reached  Warren  Point,  where  natives  were 
seen  on  the  shore ;  and  as  M'Clure  wished  to  forward 
despatches  by  them,  if  possible,  to  the  Iludson's  Bay 
Company's  posts  on  the  Mackenzie,  the  bo*ts  were 
ordered  out.  M'Clure  believed  the  natives  to  ha/e 
been  in  connection  with  these  posts,  and  expected  a 
friendly  reception  from  them.  "  Great,  therefore,"  says 
he,  "  was  my  surprise,  upon  approaching  the  beach,  to 
find,  instead  of  being  greeted  by  the  usual  friendly  signs, 
that  two  savages,  with  gesticulations  the  most  menacing, 
having  bended  bows,  with  arrows  on  their  strings,  and 
one  with  a  large  knife,  which  he  brandished  most  signifi- 
cantly, waved  us  ofi".  Taking  no  heed  of  these  hostile 
demonstrations,  we  pulled  in;  they  retreated,  yelling 
furiously.  Upon  our  reaching  the  beach,  we  made  the 
same  signs  of  friendship  which  wo  had  used  with  the 
Esquimaux  further  west,  but  without  any  effect,  until 
joined  by  tlio  interpreter,  who  was  in  full  native  costume. 
This  gave  them  confidence,  and,  upon  his  explaining  our 
friendly  intentions,  they  approached  ;  but  when  within 
about  thirty  yanls,  remarking  some  muskets  which  the 
boat's  crew  had,  their  fury  revived.     To  pacify  thom. 


M'CLURE'S  EXPLORATIONa 


409 


they  woro  laid  upon  the  ground,  where  they  became  the 
object  of  a  cautious  examination.  Still  unsatisfied,  thej 
beckoned  to  take  them  to  the  boat.  Seeing  that  uoth. 
ing  short  of  this  would  allow  of  any  communication,  1 
Bent  them  away,  when  they  approached,  and  permitted 
us  to  examine  their  bows  and  arrows." 

It  was  found  that  these  Esquimaux  had  no  communica- 
tion with  the  Mackenzie,  in  consequence  of  their  being  al 
war  with  the  neighboring  tribes,  and  having  had  several 
skirmishes  with  the  Indians  of  that  quarter.  This  may 
in  some  measure  account  for  their  fierce  dispositions, 
80  very  difierent  from  those  previously  met  with.  A 
flat  brass  button  was  observed  suspended  from  the  eai 
of  one  of  the  chiefs  of  this  tribe  ;  and,  on  being  ques- 
tioned as  to  where  he  got  it,  he  replied  that  "it  had 
been  taken  from  a  white  man  who  had  been  killed  b^ 
one  of  his  tribe.  The  white  man  belonged  to  a  partj 
which  had  landed  at  Point  Warren,  and  there  built  s« 
house ;  nobody  knew  how  they  came,  as  they  had  no 
boat;  but  they  went  inland.  The  man  killed  had 
strayed  from  the  party,  and  he  (the  chief)  and  his  son 
had  buried  him  upon  a  hill  at  a  little  distance." 

No  satisfactory  or  intelligible  reply  could  be  got  as 
to  when  this  event  occurred.  M'Clure  remained  at 
this  place  for  a  short  time  to  investigate  the  matter, 
out  only  found  two  huts,  which,  from  the  rottennes"  of 
the  wood  of  which  tlioy  were  built,  appeared  to  be  of  a 
very  old  date  indeed.  The  grave  of  the  white  man  was 
not  found. 

All  along  this  coast  they  met  with  parties  of  natives, 
wiio  almost  invariably  showed  a  hostile  front  on  their 
first  appearance,  and  as  invariably  became  amicable 
after  a  little  coquetting.  In  these  inter%-iew8  they  had 
frequently  curious  scenes,  especially  in  the  distribution 
of  presents  tc  some  natives  near  Cape  Bathurst,  whn 


410 


M'CLURE'S  EXPLORATIONS. 


i   i 


could  scarcely  be  restrained  when  the  gai^dy  gifts  v»erc 
presented  to  their  longing  eyes.  Mr.  Miertsching,  the 
interpreter,  was  always  of  the  greatest  use  on  these 
occasions,  and  won  so  much  the  esteem  of  one  old 
chief,  that,  in  tlie  fulness  of  his  heart,  he  prayed  him  to 
stay  with  the  tribe  forever ;  and,  by  way  of  inducement 
tc  do  so,  prcsentcil  him  with  his  daughter,  a  pretty  girl 
of  about  fifteen,  to  be  his  wife,  assuring  him,  at  the 
same  time,  that  a  tent,  and  all  the  etceteras  of  an 
Esquimaux  establishment,  should  be  given  to  him  along 
with  her  I  They  were  frequently  invited  to  partake  of 
native  hospitality  in  the  shape  of  roasted  whale  and 
venison,  besides  salmon,  blubber,  and  other  Arctic 
delicacies. 

Great  numbers  of  whales  were  seen  about  this  time  ; 
also  a  polar  bear  on  a  fragment  of  ice.  On  the  5th  of 
September,  the  hopes  of  the  navigators  were  suddenly 
raised,  and  as  speedily  cast  down  again.  "  The  weather," 
says  M'CIure,  "  which  had  been  squally,  accompanied 
by  a  thick  fog  during  the  early  part  of  the  day,  cleared 
towards  noon,  when  a  large  volume  of  smoke  was 
observod  about  twelve  miles  south-west.  ...  As 
divers  opinions  were  in  circulation  respecting  its  proba- 
ble cause,  and  the  ice-mate  having  positively  reported 
that  from  the  crow's  nest  he  could  distinguish  several 
persons  moving  about,  dressed  in  white  shirts,  and 
observed  some  wliite  tents  in  the  hollow  of  the  cliff,  I 
certainly  had  every  reason  to  imagine  they  wore  a  party 
of  Europeans  in  distress  ;  for  I  was  convinced  that  no 
travellers  would  remain  for  so  long  a  period  as  we  had 
remarked  the  smoke,  for  their  pleasure  :  therefore,  to 
atisfy  myself,  equally  as  others,  I  determined  to  sei  d  a 
boat  on  sliore,  as  it  was  now  calm.  The  first  whalo- 
b...u,  under  Lieut.  Cresswell,  with  Dr.  Armstrong  and 
Mr.  Miertsching,  was  despatched  to  examine  into  the 


Si 


M'CLURE'S  EXPLORATIONS. 


411 


cause,  who,  on  their  return,  reported  that  the  smoke 
oiniinated  from  fifteen  small  mounds  of  volcanic  appear 
a.ice,  occupying  a  space  of  about  fifty  yards,  the  place 
^^t^ongly  impregnated  with  sulphur,  the  lower  mounds 
being  about  thirty  feet  above  the  sea-level,  the  high- 
est about  fifty  feet.  The  laud  in  its  vicinity  was  blue 
clay,  much  intersected  with  ravines  and  deep  water- 
courses, varying  in  elevation  from  three  hundred  to  five 
hundred  feet ;  the  mark  of  a  reindeer  was  traced  to  a 
small  pond  of  water  immediately  above  the  mounds. 
Notice  of  our  having  landed  was  left,  which  would  not 
long  remain,  as  the  cliff  is  evidently  rapidly  crumbling 
away.  Thus  the  mystery  of  the  white  shirts  and  tents 
was  most  satisfactorily  explained," 

At  four  A.  M.    of  the   6th  they  were  off  the  small 
islands,  near  Cape  Parry,  bearing  north-cast-oy-north, 
with  a  fine  westerly  breeze.     The  same  day,  high  land 
was  observed  on  the  port-bow,  on  the  western  shore  of 
which  the  main  body  of  the  ice  rested.     This  was  the 
first  sight  obtained  of  terra  incognita      Hitherto  they 
had  been  sailing  along  a  shore  wl-.L..   nad   in   former 
years  been  surveyed,  on  foot  and  in  boats,  by  Franklin, 
Back,  Dcaso,  Simpson,  and  others  ;  although,  indecdi 
theirs  was  the  first  ship  that  had  sailed  in  these  waters  ;' 
but  the  land  which  now  appeared  to  them  on  the  left 
bow  was  quite  new.     Accordingly,  they  hove  to,  and 
landed  and  took  possession  in  the  name  of  her  majesty, 
calling  it  "  Baring's  Island,"  in  honor  of  the  first  l-nd 
of  the  Admiralty.     Tlio  south  cape  of  this  land,  a  hue, 
Dokl    headland,  rising    almost  perpendicularly  to    the 
height  of  about  a  thousand  f(;et,  was  named  "  Lonl  Nei- 
son's  Head."   The  latitude  was  found  to  bo  71»  6'  north, 
h.ngitude  123"  0'  west.     A  note  of  their  progress  being 
deposited  here,  they  returned   to  the  ship  and  sailed 
along  the  eastern  coast,   as  being  freer  from  ice  thau 


(I 


412 


M'CLURE'S   EXPLORATIONS. 


that  on  the  west.  It  was  afterwards  found  tliat  the  land 
taken  possession  of,  instead  of  being  an  island,  was  the 
Boutlicrinnost  point  of  tlic  shore  wiiich  had  been  named 
"  Hanks's  Land,"  by  Parry,  in  1820.  The  name  Baring 
Island  was  accordingly  changed  to  Baring  Land. 

"  We  observed,"  writes  M'Clurc,  "  numerous  traces 
of  reindeer,  hare,  and  wild-fowl.  Moss,  and  divers 
species  of  wild-flowers,  were  also  found  in  great  abun- 
dance ;  many  specimens  of  them,  equally  as  of  other 
subjects  of  interest  to  the  naturalist,  were  selected,  wii'n 
much  care,  by  Dr.  Armstrong.  From  an  elevati(iii 
obtained  of  about  five  hundred  feet,  we  had  a  fine  view 
towards  the  interior,  which  was  well  clothed  with  moss, 
giving  a  verdant  appearance  to  the  ranges  of  hills  that 
rose  gradually  to  between  two  thousand  and  three 
tliousand  feet,  intersected  with  ravines,  which  must  con- 
vey a  copious  supply  of  water  to  a  large  lake  situated 
in  the  centre  of  a  wide  plain,  about  fifteen  miles  distant. 
The  sight  to  seaward  was  favorable  in  the  extreme  : 
open  water,  with  a  very  small  quantity  of  ice,  for  the 
distance  of  full  forty  miles  toward  the  cast,  insured 
good  progress  in  that  direction." 

At  noon,  September  9th,  1850,  observations  placed 
the  Investigator  only  sixty  miles  from  Barrow's  Strait. 
"  I  cannot,"  writes  M'Clure,  "  describe  my  anxious 
feelings.  Can  it  be  possible  that  this  water  communi- 
cates with  Barrow's  Strait,  and  shall  prove  to  be  the 
long-enught  north-west  passage  ?  Can  it  be  that  sd 
hinnble  a  creature  as  I  am  will  be  permitted  to  perform 
what  has  bafiled  the  talented  and  wise  for  hundreds  of 
years  ?  But  all  praise  be  ascribed  unto  Him  who  hath 
conducted  us  so  far  in  safety.  His  ways  are  not  our 
ways  :  nor  the  means  that  He  uses  to  accomplish  his 
ends  within  our  comprehension.  The  wisdom  of  the 
world  iK  foolishness  with  Him  "     T^and  was  observeil  to 


M'CLURE'S   EXPLORATIONS. 


413 


the  eastward,  to  which  M'Clurc  gave  the  name  of 
Prince  Albert's  Land.  Several  remarkable  peaks  ap- 
poared  to  be  of  volcanic  origin. 

On  the  16th  the  Investigator  was  making  ^low 
progress  toward  Barrow's  Strait;  and  on  the  17th  oC 
September,  1850,  they  reached  their  most  advanco.l 
position,  in  latitude  73»  10' north,  and  longitude  117' 
10'  west,  about  thirty  miles  from  the  waters  of  that  series 
of  straits,  which,  under  the  names  of  Melville,  Barrow, 
and  Lancaster,  communicate  with  Baffin's  Bay.  At 
this  tantalizing  distance  the  ship  ceased  to  drift,,  and 
the  ice  appeared  to  have  reached  a  point  beyond  wliich 
some  unknown  cause  would  not  allow  it  to  proceed 
The  heavy  pack  of  Melville  Strait,  lying  across  the  head 
of  the  channel,  was  supposed  to  be  the  reason  of  the 
ice  of  Prince  of  Wales  Strait  ceasing  to  move  on  to 
the  north-east ;  and  the  impassable  nature  of  the  pack 
in  the  same  direction,  in  the  following  year,  confirmed 
this  hypothesis. 

On  the  9th  of  September  M'Clure  tells  us  he  had  de- 
bated in  his  mind  whether  to  abandon  all  hope  of  reach- 
ing Barrow's  Strait  that  year,  and  retrace  his  course 
southward  in  search  of  a  wintering  place,  or  to  hold  on, 
so  lar  as  he  might,  and  run  the  risk  of  wintering  in  the 
pack.  "  I  decided,"  he  says,  "  on  the  latter  of  these 
two  courses  ;  "  and  the  consideration  which  influenced 
him  in  this  difficult  choice  was,  "  that  to  relinquish  the 
ground  obtained  through  sc  much  labor  and  anxiety,  for 
the  remote  chance  of  finding  safe  winter  quarters,  would 
be  injudicious,  thoroughly  impressed  as  I  was  with  the 
absolute  importance  of  retaining  every  mile  to  insure 
any  favorable  results  while  navigating  these  seas." 
Besides  this,  it  was  desirable  to  hold  as  advanced  a 
position  as  possible,  in  order  that  the  spring  eledgo- 


III  ill    I 


414 


M'CLUUE'S  EXPLORATIONS 


parties  in  1851  might  be  at  once  set  to  work  upon  nen 
and  unsearcliccl  coaet-lines. 

The  smallest  pools  of  water  nowbccama  rapidly  cov- 
erod  with  ice  ;  the  eider-duck,  the  hardiest  of  Arctic  birds, 
was  last  seen  on  the  23d  of  September.  On  tho  2nh, 
the  temperature  being  then  at  zero,  preparations  were 
begun  fur  housing  over  the  ship.  These  proparationa 
were  made  under  circumstances  that  might  well  Bhako 
the  nerves  of  a  strong  man.  As  the  ice  surged,  the 
ship  was  thrown  violently  from  side  to  side,  now  lifted 
out  of  water,  now  plunged  into  a  hole.  "  Tho  crushing, 
creaking,  and  straining,"  says  Captain  IM'Clure,  in  hia 
log,  "  is  beyond  description  ;  the  officer  of  tho  watch, 
when  speaking  to  me,  is  obliged  to  put  his  mouth  close 
to  my  ear,  on  account  of  the  deafening  noiao." 

The  olliccra  had  just  time  to  congratulate  themselves 
upon  the  escape  from  past  dangers,  and  to  express 
gratitude  at  having  lost  only  thirty  miles  of  latitude  by 
the  drifting  of  the  pack,  when  a  change  of  wind  set  it 
all  again  in  motion.  The  28th  was  spent  in  breathless 
anxiety,  as,  h(>lplesa  in  their  icy  trammels,  they  swept 
northward  again  toward  the  clifl's  of  Pxincess  lloyal 
Island. 

These  clilTs  rose  perpendicularly  from  the  sea  at  tho 
part  against  which  the  ship  appeared  to  be  setting,  and, 
as  the  crew  eyed  them  for  a  hope  of  safety,  if  the  good 
craft  sliould  be  crushed  against  their  face,  they  could 
see  no  ledge  upon  which  even  a  goat  could  have  estab- 
lished a  fuoting,  and  an  elevation  of  four  hundred  feet 
precluded  a  cliancc  of  scaling  them.  To  launch  the  boats 
over  the  moving  pack  was  their  sole  chance,  —  and  that 
a  poor  one,  rolling  and  upheaving,  as  it  was,  under  tho 
inllnencc  of  wind,  tide,  and  pressure. 

"  It  looks  a  bad  job,  this  time,"  inquiringly  remarked 
one  of  tho  sailors,  as  he  assisted  another  in  coiling  down 


DISCOVERY  OP  THE  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE.      415 

neatly  a  frozen  hawser.  "  Yes  I "  was  the  rejoinder,  aa 
the  other  shaded  his  eyes  from  the  driving  bi'ow,  and 
cast  a  glance  at  the  dark  cliff  looming  tluough  the 
Btorm,  "  the  old  craft  will  double  up  like  an  old  basket 
when  eho  gets  alongside  of  them  rocks  I  " 

The  Investigator's  hour  was  not  yet  come,  however ; 
and,  wheu  within  five  hundred  yards  of  the  rocks,  the 
ice  coach-wJieeled  her  along  them,  and  finally  swept  her 
past  the  islands  upon  the  eastern  side. 

No  water  was  in  sight  from  the  mast-head;  yet 
onwards  they  drifted  slowly,  and  on  the  30th  became 
again  stationary,  in  latitude  72°  50'  N.,  and  longitude 
111"  55'  W.,  very  nearly  as  far  north  as  they  had  sailed 
o  fortnight  before. 

"  On  the  8th  of  October,"  says  M'CIure,  "  our  per- 
plexitios  terminated  with  a  nip  that  lifted  tlie  vessel  a 
foot,  and  heeled  her  four  degrees  to  port,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  large  tongue  getting  beneath  her,  in  which 
position  we  quietly  remained."  Ilere  the  Investigator 
passed  the  winter  of  1850-51. 

From  the  10th  to  the  21st  of  October,  preparations 
were  made  to  despatch  a  sledge-party  to  the  northward 
to  reach  Barrov/'s  Strait,  and  get  assurance  of  the  fact 
of  the  discovery  of  a  north-west  passage.  A  remarka- 
ble rise  of  temperature  to  24°  plus  of  Fahrenheit,  from 
2°  minus,  with  the  wind  blowing  fresh  from  norlh-easl, 
would  soom  to  indicate  that  the  winter  of  this  region  is 
modified  by  the  warm  air  from  the  open  water  of  Bar- 
row's Strait.  This  sudden  change  was  far  from  pleas- 
ant to  the  crew  ;  and  the  old  hands  warned  the  novices 
against  "  being  fools  enough  to  pull  their  clothes  off  on 
account  of  such  a  bit  of  sunshine  ;  for,  perhaps,  in  an 
hour's  time  Zero  would  bo  about  again." 

On  the  21st  October,  1850,  M'CIure  started  for  Bar- 
row's  Strait,  with  a  sledge  manned  with  six  men  ;  but  ii 


416 


M'CLURE'S  EXPLORATIONS. 


broko  down  before  they  had  proceeded  far,  and  the/  had 
to  scud  to  the  ship  for  another.  It  did  not  reach  thcni 
till  the  next  day.  After  some  difficulty  in  crossing 
ridges  of  broken  ice,  tliey  reached  vast  fields  of  smooth 
ice  of  the  present  season's  formation  ;  and  here  a  new 
obstacle  awaited  them.  The  autumnal  snow  had  accu- 
mulated upon  the  surface  of  these  young  ice-fields,  and, 
weighing  them  down,  caused  the  sea-water  to  flow 
through  sufficiently  to  render  the  under  part  of  the 
enow  almost  as  tenacious  as  clay.  The  fatigue  of  haul- 
ing two  hundred  pounds  apiece  over  such  a  rote'  .vas 
excessive.  Unfortunately,  no  water  could  bo  had,  and 
the  crew  sufllerod  much  from  thirst ;  for  every  handful 
of  snow  which  they  thrust  into  their  parched  mouths 
augmented  rather  than  assuaged  their  sufferings,  as  it 
contained  more  or  less  of  the  salts  of  the  sea-water. 

On  the  24th  a  cape  was  seen  at  what  appeared  a  dis- 
tance of  twelve  miles,  and  every  man  now  dragged  with 
a  will,  in  the  hope  of  reaching  that  night  the  end  of  his 
iournoy  ;  but,  after  seven  hours'  labor,  the  cape  still 
retained  its  original  position,  and  they  seemed  net  a 
mile  nearer  to  it.  M'Chne  then  saw  thr.c  he  bad  been 
much  deceived  in  its  apparent  distanct.  owing  to  the 
clearness  of  the  atmosphere,  and  that  thirty  miles  was 
a  nearer  estimate  than  twelve  of  the  probable  length 
of  their  march.  After  a  night's  rest,  and  another  hard 
day's  work,  they  were  still  two  miles  off  the  cape,  when 
night  closed  in,  obliging  them  to  halt  and  encamp. 
Though  disappointed  in  not  sighting  Barrow's  Strait  on 
the  25th,  they  were  all  much  cheered  by  the  multiply- 
ing proofs  around  them  of  its  close  proximity.  Away  to 
the  north-east  they  already  saw  th;it  wonderful  oceanic 
ice  described  by  Sir  Edward  Parry  in  his  voyage  to 
Melville  Island,  in  1819.  The  latitude  was  now  13"  25'  N. 

The  morning  of  the  26th  October,  1850,  was  fine  and 


discovj:uy  of  t«e  north-west  p.vssaqe.    417 

cloudloHB.  It  wan  with  no  ordinary  foeliiiga  of  jo>  and 
gratitude  that  M'Cluro  and  his  party  started  before  Bun 
rise  to  obtain  from  tho  ndjacuTit  hill  a  view  of  that  Boa 
wliich  connected  their  diacoveries  with  those  of  Sir 
Edward  Parry.  Ascending  a  hill  six  hundred  feet  above 
llio  sea-level,  they  patiently  awaited  the  increase  of 
liglit  to  reveal  the  lomj-suurjhl-for  north-west  pasmye /rmn 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

As  the  sun  rose,  tho  panorama  slowly  uivciled  itself. 
First  tho  land  called  after  Prince  Albert  showed  out  on 
an  easterly  bearing  ;  and,  from  a  point  since  named 
after  Sir  Robert  Peel,  it  evidently  turned  away  to  the 
east,  and  formed  the  northern  entrance  of  the  channel 
upon  that  side. 

Tho  coast  of  Banks's  Land  terminated  about  'twelve 
miles  further  on  than  where  the  party  stood ;  and  thence 
it  turned  away  to  the  north-west,  forming  tho  northern 
coast  of  that  land,  the  loom  of  which  had  bet  n  so  cor- 
rectly reported  by  Parry  more  than  thirty  years  before. 
Away  to  the  north,  and  across  the  entrance  of  Prince 
of  Wales  Strait,  lay  tho  frozen  waters  of  Barrow's,  or, 
as  it  is  now  called,  Melville  Strait ;  and,  raised  as  they 
were  at  an  altitude  of  six  hundred  feet  above  its  level, 
the  eye-sight  embraced  a  distance  which  precluded  the 
possibility  of  any  land  lying  iu  that  direction  between 
them  and  Melville  Island. 

The  north  west  passage  was  discovered  !  All  doubt 
as  to  tho  water  communication  between  the  two  great 
oceans  was  removed  ;  and  it  now  alone  remained  for 
M'Clure,  his  officers  and  men,  to  pcrfpct  the  work  by 
traversing  the  few  thousand  miles  of  known  ground 
between  them  and  their  homes. 

The  position  of  Mount  Observation,  from  which  the 
important  discovery  had  been  made,  was  ascertitinsd  to 
be  in  latitude  73°  30'  39"  N.,  longitude  lli°  89^  W 
27 


418 


M'CLUIlll'S  EXPL0ILVT10N8. 


1; 


■1 

Wt 

Tho  trav(>llrrH  onranipetl  that  night  on  Capo  Lord  John 
RnsBcll,  and  cliccrcil  hiHlily  an  they  roaoheil  tlio  Hhores 
of  HaiTow'H  Strait.  A  mimic  bonliro,  of  a  hroi<cii 
HJedj^o  luul  dwarf  \vilh)W,  was  lighted  by  tho  Boamon 
in  celebration  of  tho  event. 

Tlio  question  of  a  north-west  pasHago  was  now  placed 
beyond  all  donlit.  From  tho  pttint  in  Harrow's  Strait 
upon  which  they  were  looking— a  point  opposite  to 
Capo  Hay,  in  Melvillo  Island  —  Parry  had  sailed  into 
I?affin's  Hay  and  homo.  Tho  existence,  therefore,  of  a 
water  communication  round  the  north  coast  of  America 
was  finally  demonstrated.  They  had  not  found  any 
trace  of  Franklin  ;  but  they  had  done  the  next  best 
thing,  and  oimu^,Hi  for  M'Clure's  fame. 

Tho  rapid  fall  of  temperature  now  warned  M'Cluro 
that  he  should  return  without  delay  to  the  ship.  From 
Point  Lord  John  Russell,  tho  coast  of  Banks's  Land 
was  seen  to  trend  away  to  the  westward,  and  increase 
in  boldness  of  outline  and  altitude.  Much  vegetation, 
for  this  latitude,  was  observed,  and  numerous  traces  of 
animals,  such  as  the  deer,  hare,  and  ptarmigan,  as  well 
as  of  tho  fox  and  wolf;  but  no  animal  was  seen,  A 
large  cairn  was  constructed,  a  due  record  of  tho  visit 
of  the  party  placed  therein,  and  then,  in  the  teeth  of  a 
Bouth-ciist  gale,  they  commenced  their  return  to  tho 
Investigator. 

M'Clure  came  near  perishing  in  trying  to  got  back 
On  the  30th  of  October,  at  two  p.  ii.,  having  seen  tho 
Princess  Royal  Isles,  and  knowing  the  position  of  tho 
ehip  from  them,  ho  left  his  sledge,  with  the  intention  of 
pushing  for  tho  sliip,  and  having  a  warm  meal  ready  fcr 
his  men  on  their  arrival.  ^Vhen  still  si.K  miles  from  the 
ship  the  night  overtook  him  ;  and  witli  it  came  a  dense 
mist,  accompanied  with  snow-drift,  which  rolled  down 
the  strait,  and  obscured  every  object.     Uuvtble  to  Bee 


DISCOVERY  OP  THE  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGH.       410 

fall  road,  hut  oiidoavoring  to  prosorvo  a  coiitbo  by  the 
wind,  Al'Cluro  continued  to  liastcn  on,  until  ropoatod 
and  lioa\y  IiiIIh  aniongHt  tlio  b.-oiton  ico  wnrniul  liim  to 
dOHist,  or  incur  tlio  additional  peril  of  broken  linibH. 

"  I  now,"  ho  sayH,  "  climbed  on  a  nuiBH  of  Hqucozod-up 
CO,  in  tlio  hope  of  Booing  n>y  party,  Hhould  they  pass 
near,  or  of  attracting  tho  attention  of  sonio  one  on 
board  tho  vohsoI  by  firing  my  fuwling-pioco.  Unfor- 
tunately, I  had  no  other  ammunition  than  what  it  was 
loaded  with  ;  for  I  had  fancied,  when  I  left  tho  Bledge, 
that  tho  two  charges  in  tho  gun  woidd  bo  all  I  should 
bo  likely  to  require.  After  waiting  for  an  hour  patiently, 
I  was  rejoiced  to  see  through  tho  mist  the  glare  of  a  blue 
light,  evidently  burnt  in  the  direction  in  which  I  had  left 
the  sledge.  I  immediately  fired  to  denote  my  position  ; 
but  my  fire  was  unobserved,  and,  both  barrels  being  dis- 
charged, I  was  unable  to  repeat  the  aignal.  My  only 
hope  now  rested  upon  the  ship's  answering  ;  but  noth- 
ing was  to  be  seen  ;  and,  although  I  once  more  saw,  at 
a  greater  distance,  tho  glare  of  another  blue  light  from 
tho  sledge,  there  seemed  no  probability  of  my  having 
any  other  shelter  for  the  night  than  what  tlio  floe 
afforded.  Two  hours  elapsed  ;  I  endeavored  to  see  the 
faco  of  my  pocket-compass  by  the  light  of  a  solitary 
lucifer  match,  which  happened  to  bo  in  my  pocket ;  but 
in  this  hope  I  was  cruelly  disappointed,  for  it  fizzed 
and  went  out,  leaving  mo  in  total  darkness. 

"  It  was  now  half-past  eight ;  there  were  eleven  houre 
of  night  before  mo,  a  temperature  15'  below  zero,  bears 
prowling  about,  and  I  with  an  unloaded  gun  in  my 
hands.  The  sledge-party  might,  however,  reach  the 
ship,  and,  finding  I  had  not  arrived,  search  would  be 
made,  and  help  be  sent ;  so  I  walked  to  and  fro  upon 
my  hummock  until,  I  suppose,  it  must  have  been  eleven 
o'clock,  when   that  hope  fled   likewise.      Descending 


i     'ii! 


M    '! 


'[ 


H 


;i    la 
.1 


420 


M'CLURE'S  EXPLORATIONS. 


from  the  top  of  the  slab  of  ice  upon  wliicli  T  had  clanv 
bored,  I  found  under  its  lee  a  famous  bed  of  Boft,  dry 
snow  ;  and,  thoroughly  tired  out,  I  threw  myself  upon  it 


RESTING   IN   THE    SNOW. 

and  slept  for  perhaps  three  hours,  when,  upon  opening 
my  eyes,  I  fancied  I  saw  tlie  flash  of  a  rocket.  Jump- 
ing upon  my  feet,  I  found  that  the  mist  had  cleared  off, 
and  that  the  stars  and  aurora  borealis  were  shining  in 
all  the  splendor  of  an  Arctic  night.  Although  unable 
to  see  tlie  islands  or  the  ship,  I  wandered  about  the  ico 
in  different  directions  until  daylight,  when,  to  my  great 
mortification,  I  found  I  had  passed  the  ship  fully  the 
distance  of  four  miles." 

Retracing  his  steps,  M'Clure  reached  the  Investigator 
on  the  31st  October,  very  tired,  but  otherwise  none  the 
worse  for  his  rough  and  dangerous  exposure  to  a  \vin- 
ter's  niglit  in  73°  north  latitude.  A  few  hours  after- 
wards the  sledge  arrived,  and  great  was  the  rejoicing 
on  board  at  the  news  confirming  the  discovery  of  a 
north-west  passage. 

During  the  absence  of  the  captain  and  his  party,  the 
officers  of  the  Investigator  had  nut  been  idle.  Upon 
the    adjacent  shores   of  Prince  of   Wales  Strait   they 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE       421 

puccoeded  in  killing  a  fine  herd  of  musk-oxen,  consisting 
of  three  bulls,  a  cow,  and  a  calf,  and  yielding  a  supply 
of  twelve  hundred  and  ninety-six  pounds  of  solid  moat. 

During  the  first  fortnight  in  December  the  temper- 
ature of  the  external  air  ranged  from  23°  to  31°  below 
zero,  whilst  between  decks  from  +40°  to  +50°  was 
t.ie  average.  From  the  9th  January,  1851,  to  the  16tli, 
was  the  coldest  period  on  board  the  Investigator  —  the 
thermometer  showing  40°  to  50°  below  zero. 

Early  one  dark  and  icy  morning  in  January,  a  man 
named  John  Eames  was  walking  out  upon  the  floe, 
when  he  saw  a  small  lierd  of  reindeer  trot  by.  "  It  is 
pretty  evident,"  says  M'Cln-o,  "that,  during  the  whole 
winter,  animals  may  be  found  in  these  straits,  and  that 
the  want  of  sufficient  light  alone  prevents  our  larder 
being  stored  with  fresh  food."  "  Subsequent  observa- 
tion," says  Commander  Osborne,  "  has  completely  over- 
thrown the  idea  that  the  reindeer,  musk-ox,  or  othei 
animals  inhabiting  the  archipelago  of  islands  north  of 
America,  migrate  southward  to  avoid  an  Arctic  winter. 
Throughout  Banks's  Land,  Melville  Island,  Bathurst, 
and  Cornwallis  Land,  there  have  been  found  indubitable 
proofs  of  the  reindeer,  boar,  musk-ox,  marmot,  wolf, 
hare,  and  ptarmigan, — in  short,  all  the  Fauna  of  these 
climes,  —  wintering  in  the  latitudes  in  which  they 
are  found  during  the  summer."  A  raven,  which  had 
haunted  the  ship  during  the  period  of  cold  and  dark- 
ness, left  it  before  the  sun  reappeared,  and  his  departure 
was  sensibly  felt  by  every  one  on  board. 

Early  in  March,  1351,  a  whale-boat  was  carried  on 
sledges,  with  much  labor,  to  the  Princess  Royal  Island, 
and  a  depot  established  of  three  months'  victualling  for 
the  entire  crew.  In  April  three  sledges  were  laden 
irith  provisions  for  six  weeks,  and,  with  six  men  to  each 
eledge,  were  sent  on  difl'orcnt   courses.     One  sledge, 


JlJHli,l'PWW>WWI«JWgW 


1 

4; 

422 


M'CLURE'S  EXPLORATIONS. 


'S   i 


commanded  by  Lieut.  Uaswell,  was  directed  to  proceed 
to  the  south-east,  following  the  coast  of  Prince  Albert's 
Land,  toward  the  land  soon  north  of  Dolphin  and  Union 
Strait,  and  named  by  its  discoverer  WoUaston  Land  ; 
another  sledge,  under  Lieut.  Cresswell,  was  to  follow  the 
coast  of  Banks's  Land  to  the  north-west ;  whilst  the 
remaining  party,  with  Mr.  Wynniatt,  was  charged  with 
the  duty  of  examining  the  coast  of  Albert  Land  to  the 
north-east,  toward  Cape  Walker.  On  the  18th  April  tho 
several  parties,  with  their  sledges,  left  the  ship  to  search 
for  traces  of  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  men. 

They  returned,  after  intervals  of  from  three  to  seven 
weeks,  but  without  having  found  any  traces  of  the  miss- 
ing navigators,  or  gained  any  contributions  of  moment 
for  geographical  science.  The  most  important  incident 
seems  to  have  been  Lieut.  Ilaswell's  encounter  with 
some  Esquimaux,  who  said  they  had  never  before  cast 
eyes  on  a  white  man.  Copper  of  tho  purest  descrip- 
tion seemed  to  be  plentiful  with  them,  for  all  their  im- 
plements were  of  that  metal ;  their  arrows  were  tipped 
with  it,  and  some  of  the  sailors  saw  a  quantity  of  it  iu 
a  rough  state  in  one  of  the  tents.  ^M'Cluro  afterwards 
had  some  friendly  interviews  with  these  people,  in 
whose  decaying  prospects  he  became  quite  interested. 

As  spring  advanced,  signs  of  a  change  began  to  mul- 
tiply. First  came  a  seal  at  the  hole  in  the  floe  kept 
open  near  the  ship  in  case  of  fire  ;  then  a  large  polar 
bear ;  and,  lastly,  hares  and  ptarmigan.  Among  the 
startling  narratives  of  Arctic  escapes,  few  exceed  that 
of  Whitfield,  one  of  the  hunters,  who  lost  his  way  in  a 
snow-drift,  and  was  found  within  a  yard  of  tho  tent, 
stiff  and  rigid  as  a  corpse,  his  head  thrown  back,  his 
eyes  fixed,  his  mouth  open  and  filled  with  snow,  his 
gun  slung  over  his  shoulder,  and  his  body  being  fast 
buried  in  a  snow-wreath.      When  happily  brought  to 


DISCOVERY   OF  THE  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE.       423 

himself,  lie  related  that  whilst  struggling  with  the  snow. 
Btom  he  felt  a  chill,  and  then  a  fit  came  on,  during 
which  he  imagined  people  came  close  to  him  ;  he  had 
partially  recovered,  and,  discovering  a  track,  had  nearly 
reached  the  tent-door,  when  he  was  overtaken  by 
another  fit,  and  had  sunk  down,  a  yard  from  the  tent- 
door,  in  the  attitude  of  supplication  in  which  he  was 
found.  Had  not  one  of  the  hunters  looked  out  of  the 
door  by  chance,  he  must  have  been  frozen  to  death  in 
that  position,  within  a  yard  of  a  place  of  refuge  I 

There  was  great  joy  on  board  the  Investigator  from 
the  10th  to  the  14th  of  July,  1851.  The  floe  had  com- 
menced breaking  up,  and  on  the  ITth  the  good  ship  cast 
off,  —  only,  however,  to  be  caught  in  the  pack-ice,  and 
once  more  drifted  with  the  crushing  floes  against  the 
Cuffs  of  Princess  Royal  Island.  Finally  she  drifted  to 
the  tantalizing  distance  of  twenty-five  miles  from  the 
waters  of  Barrow's  Strait.  Further  than  that,  no  efibrt 
could  advance  the  ship  ;  the  young  ice  at  nights  had 
already  begun  to  form  again,  the  sun  once  more  set  at 
night,  the  pack-ice  closed  up  the  exit,  and  M'Clure  was 
obliged  to  give  the  passage  up  as  a  hopeless  thing,  and 
to  retrace  his  steps,  in  order  that,  by  going  round  by  the 
south  of  Banks's  Land,  he  miglit  try  and  reach  Melville 
Island  from  that  direction. 

It  was  a  truly  grievous  position  to  be  placed  in,  to  be 
within  some  thirty  miles  of  a  clear  sea,  wliicli,  had  they 
once  been  able  to  pass  into,  they  could  have  reached 
England  the  same  summer,  — and  to  have  to  ^urn  back 
witli  the  prospect  of  another  winter  in  the  polar  regions. 
But  the  ice  was  as  inexorable  as  if  the  Isthmus  of  Pan- 
ama  had  stood  between  them  and  the  Atlantic  ;  and  llioro 
was  no  help  fur  it.  At  first  matters  went  on  well,  in 
their  southerly  progress  ;  not  a  particle  of  ice  wan  mot 
frith,  Floes,  hummocks,  and  the  huge  i)i!es  u[  iou  thai 
fringed  the  coast,  had  alike  disappeared. 


mmmmmimiimimmmil 


mm 


424 


M'CLURE'8  EXPLORATIONS. 


On  the  24th  of  July  they  had  nearly  readied  Point 
Armstrong,  upon  which  the  ice  was  resting.  Ilcre  their 
course  was  checked.  There  was  much  drift-wood  on 
the  beach,  of  large  dimensions,  mostly  American  pine. 
The  cutter  was  consequently  despatched  for  a  load,  and 
Bome  of  the  pieces  appeared  so  fresh  that  the  carpenter 
was  of  opinion  that  two  years  was  the  extreme  of  their 
quitiing  the  forest.  "  The  wind,  veering  to  the  west- 
ward during  the  night,"  says  M'Clure,  "set  large 
bodies  of  ice  into  tiie  water  we  occupied,  which  was 
rapidly  filling.  To  prevent  being  forced  on  shore,  wo 
were  obliged,  at  eight  a.  m.  of  the  25th,  to  run  into  the 
pack,  where  we  drifted,  according  to  the  tide,  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  the  beach  ;  but,  during  the  twenty- 
four  hours,  made  about  two  miles  and  a  half  to  the 
north-east,  from  which,  when  taken  with  the  quantity 
of  dril-wood  that  is  thickly  strewed  along  the  beach,  1 
am  of  opinion  that  on  this  side  of  the  strait  there  is  a 
slight  current  to  the  north-east,  while  upon  the  opposite 
one  it  sets  to  the  southward,  upon  which  there  is 
scarcely  any  wood,  and  our  progress,  while  similarly 
situated,  was  in  a  southern  direction.  We  continued 
drifting  in  the  pack,  without  meeting  &ny  ubstruction, 
until  ten  a.  m.  of  the  1st  of  August,  when  a  sudden  and 
most  unexpected  motion  of  the  ice  swept  us  with  much 
velocity  to  the  north-east,  toward  a  low  point,  ofl"  which 
were  several  shoals,  having  many  heavy  pieces  of 
grounded  ice  upon  them,  toward  which  we  were  directly 
sotting,  decreasing  the  soundings  from  twenty-four  to 
nine  and  a  half  fathoms.  Destruction  was  apparently 
not  far  distant,  when,  most  opportunely,  the  ice  eased 
a  little,  and,  a  fresh  wind  coming  from  the  laiul,  sail  was 
immediately  made,  which,  assisted  by  warps,  enabled 
the  ship  to  be  forced  ahead  about  two  hundred  yards, 
whiili  shot  us  clear  of  the  ice  and  the  point  into  sixteen 


Li::.  il 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE.      425 

and  a  half  fathoms,  in  which  water  we  rounded  the 
e'noiils  ;  the  ice  then  again  closed,  and  the  ship  becama 
fixed  until  the  14th  of  August,  when  the  fog,  which 
since  the  previous  day  had  been  very  dense,  cleared, 
and  disclosed  open  water  about  half  a  mile  from  the 
vessel,  with  the  ioe  loose  about  her." 

The  diflSculty  of  clearing  away  large  masses  of  ice 
was,  to  some  extent,  obviated  by  blasting.  "  Previously 
to  quitting  the  floe,"  says  M'Clure,  "  I  was  desirous  of 
trying  what  effect  blasting  would  have  upon  such  a 
mass.  A  j:ir  containing  thirty-six  pounds  of  powder 
was  let  down  twelve  feet  into  the  water  near  the  cen- 
tre ;  the  average  thickness  was  eleven  feet,  and  its 
diameter  four  hundred  yards.  The  result  was  most  sat- 
Isfactory,  rending  it  in  every  direction,  so  that  with  ease 
we  could  effect  a  passage  through  any  part  of  it." 

Cape  Kellett  was  roi  nded  with  some  little  difficulty, 
the  ship  passing  between  the  edge  of  grounded  ice  and 
the  coast.  The  land  was  now  so  low  that  the  hand 
lead-line  became  for  a  while  their  best  guide  ;  the  sound- 
ings happily  were  regular,  and,  aided  by  it  and  a  fair 
wind,  they  advanced  apace  to  the  northward.  Through- 
out the  19th  of  August,  1851,  the  ship  sometimes  ran 
as  much  as  seven  knots  per  hour,  the  width  of  the  lane 
of  water  in  which  they  were  sailing  varying  from  three 
to  five  miles.  Noon  that  day  found  them  in  13"  55' 
north  latitude,  and  123°  52'  30"  west  longitude;  and 
already  did  M'Chire  count  upon  extending  his  voyage 
to  the  north  of  Melville  Island,  and  then  striking  for 
some  strait  or  sound  leading  into  Baffin's  Bay. 

That  night,  liowovcr,  a  sudden  and  remarkable  change 
took  place.  They  had  just  crossed  Burnet  Bay,  within 
Norway  and  Robilliard  Island,  when  the  coast  suddenly 
became  as  abrupt  and  precipitous  as  a  wall ;  the  water 
W4S  veiy  deep,  — sixty  fathoms  by  the  lead-liue  within 


426 


M'CLURE'S  EXPLORATIONS. 


four  hundred  yards  of  the  face  of  the  cliffs,  and  fifteen 
fathoms  water  when  actually  touching  them.  The  lano 
of  water  had  diminished  to  two  hundred  yards  in  width 
where  broadest ;  and  even  that  space  was  much  ham- 
pered by  loose  pieces  of  ice  aground  or  adrift.  In  some 
places  the  channel  was  so  narrow  that  the  quarter-boats 
had  to  be  topped  up  to  prevent  their  touching  the  cliffs 
upon  the  one  hand,  or  the  lofty  ice  upon  the  other  ;  and 
so  perfectly  were  they  running  the  gauntlet,  that  on 
many  occasions  the  ship  could  not  "  round  to,"  for  want 
of  space. 

Their  position  was  full  of  peril ;  yet  they  could  but 
push  on,  for  retreat  was  now  as  dangerous  as  progress. 
Th*^  pack  was  of  the  same  fearful  description  as  one 
they  had  follen  in  with  in  the  offing  of  the  Mackenzie 
River,  during  the  previous  autumn  ;  it  drew  forty  and 
fifty  feet  of  water,  and  rose  in  rolling  hills  upon  the 
surface,  some  of  them  a  hundred  feet  from  base  to  sum- 
mit. Any  attempt  to  force  the  frail  ship  against  such 
ice  was  of  course  more  folly;  all  they  could  do  was  to 
watch  for  every  opening,  trust  in  tiie  mercy  of  God, 
and  p'lsh  ahead  in  the  execution  of  their  duty.  If  the 
ice  at  such  a  time  had  set  in  with  its  vast  force  against 
the  sheer  cliff,  nothing,  they  all  felt,  could  have  saved 
them. 

Enough  has  been  said  to  give  a  correct  idea  of  the 
peril  incurred  at  this  stage  of  the  voyage,  without  en- 
tering into  minute  details  of  the  hair-bieadth  escapes 
hourly  taking  place  ;  but  one  instance  may  be  given  as 
a  sample  of  the  rest.  After  the  2nth  of  August  the  In* 
vostigator  lay  helplessly  fixed  off  the  north-west  of 
Banks's  Land  ;  the  wind  had  pressed  in  the  ice,  and  foi 
a  while  all  hopes  of  further  progress  were  at  an  end. 
On  the  29th  of  August,  however,  a  sudden  move  took 
place,  and  a  moving  floe  struck  a  huge  mass  to  wKkh 


i 


DISCOVERY   OF  THE  NORTH  WEST  PASSAGE.,      427    " 

the  ship  had  boon  secured,  and,  to  the  horror  of  those 
on  board,  sucli  was  the  enormous  power  exerted  that 
the  mass  slowly  reared  itself  on  its  edge  close  to  the 
Hhip's  bows,  until  the  upper  part  was  higher  than  the 
fore-yard  ;  and  every  moment  appeared  likely  to  be  the 
Investigator's  last,  for  the  ice  had  but  to  topple  over  to 
sink  her  and  her  crew  under  its  weight.  At  the  criti- 
cal moment  there  was  a  shout  of  joy;  for  the  mass, 
after  oscillating  fearfully,  broke  up,  rolled  back  in  its 
origmal  position,  and  they  were  saved. 

Hardly,  however,  was  this  danger  past  than  a  fresh 
one  threatened  ;  for  the  berg  to  which  the  ship  was  se- 
cured  was  impelled  forward  by  the  whole  weight  of  the 
driving  pack  toward  a  low  point  of  land,  on  which  with 
fnghtful  pressure  the  great  floes  were  breaking  up,  and 
piling  themselves  tier  upon  tier.     The  Investigator  had 
no  power  of  escape  ;  but  every  hawser  was  put  in  re- 
quisition, and  hands  stationed  by  them.     An  attempt 
to  blow  up  a  grounded  berg,  upon  which  the  ship  was 
dnvmg,  only  jjartially  succeeded  ;  the  nip  came  on,  the 
poor  ship  groaned,  and  every  plank  and  timber  quivered 
from  stem  to  stern,  in  this  trial  of  strength  between  her 
and  the  ice.     '•  Our  fate  seemed  sealed,"  says  M'Clurc  ; 
and  he  made  up  his  mind  to  let  go  all  hawsers.     Tho 
order  was  given,  and  with  it  the  wreck  of  the  Investi 
gator  seemed  certain:  all  the  leader  hoped  for  was  — tj 
use  his  own  words  — "that  wo  might  have  the  ship 
thrown  up  sufficiently  to  serve  as  an  asylum  for  the 
winter."      If  she  should   sink   between  the   two   con- 
lending  bergs,  the  destruction  of  every  soul  was  inev- 
itable. 

But,  at  the  very  moment  when  the  order  to  "let  go 
all  hawsers  "  was  given,  and  even  before  it  could  be 
obeyed,  a  merciful  Providence  caused  the  berg,  which 
nost  threatened,  to  break  up,  and  tho  Tnvostigator  was 


ffmammmmmmmm'mB 


428 


M  CLURE'S  EXPLORiVTIONS. 


once  more  saved ;  though  still  so  tightly  was  slio  beset, 
that  there  was  not  room  to  drop  a  lead-line  down  round 
the  vessel,  and  the  copper  upon  hur  bottom  was  hang- 
ing in  shroda,  or  rolled  up  like  brown  paper.  By  mid- 
night the  ice  was  statioiuiry,  and  everything  quiet. 

They   were    now   upon   the   north-west   extreme  of 
Banks's  Land,  and  here  officers  and  men  rambled  into 
the  interior,  which  tiiey  did  not  find  so  sterile  as  the 
view  from  tlie  sea  hud  led  them  to  expect.     Traces  of 
musk-oxen  and  deer  abounded,  and  both  were  seen  ; 
but  perhaps  the  most  extraordinary  discovery  of  oil  was 
a  great  accumulation  of  fossil  trees,  as  well  as  frag 
ments  not  fossilized,  lying  over  the  whole  extent  of  the 
land,  from  an  elevation  of  three  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea  to  its  inmiediate  level.     Writing  on  the  21th  of 
August,  M'Clure  says  :  "  I  walked  to-day  a  short  dis- 
tance into  the  interior  ;  the  snow  that  had  fallen  last 
night  lay  unthawed  upon  the  high  grounds,  rendering 
the  prospect  most  cheerless.    The  hills  are  very  remark 
able,  nuvny  of  them  peaked,  and  standing  isolated  from 
each  other  by  precipitous  gorges.    The  summits  of  these 
hills  arc  about  three  hundred  feet  high,  and  nothing  can 
be  more  wildly  picturesque  than  the  gorges  which  lie 
between  them.     Vvom  the  summit  of  these  singularly- 
formed  hills  to  their  base,  abundance  of  wood  is  to  be 
found ;  and  in  many  places  layers  of  trees  are  visible, 
some  protruding  twelve  or  fourteen  feet,  and  so  firm 
that  several  people  may  jump  on  them  without  theii 
breaking:  the  largest  trunk  yet  found  measured  one 
foot  seven  inches  in  liameter." 

Again,  on  September  5th,  some  miles  from  the  hills 
just  alluded  to,  M'Clure  says  :  "  I  entered  a  ravine  some 
miles  inland,  and  found  the  north  side  of  it,  for  a 
deptn  of  forty  feet  from  the  surface,  composed  of  one 
raasa  of  wood  similar  to  what  I  had  before  seen.     The 


VVCHER  IN  THE  BAY  OF  MERCY. 


42& 


whole  depth  of  the  ravine  was  about  two  liuudred  feet. 
The  ground  around  the  wood  or  trees  was  formed  of 
6arKl  and  shingle  ;  some  of  the  wood  was  petrified,  the 
remainder  very  rotten,  and  worthless  even  for  burning." 
At  a  subsequent  pcnod,  Lieutenant  Mechain  met 
with  a  similar  kind  of  fossil  forest  in  Prince  Patrick 
Island,  nearly  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  further 
north. 

This  phenomenon  gives  rise  to  speculation  as  to  some 
period  in  the  world's  history  when  the  absence  of  ice 
and  a  milder  climate  allowed  forest-trees  to  grow  in  a 
region  where  now  the  ground  willow  and  dwarf  birch 
have  to  struggle  for  existence. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  1851,  winter  appeared  to 
have  overtaken  the  Investigator  in  her  forlorn  position  ; 
but  on  the  18th  the  wind  veered,  and  the  ice  went  off 
from  the  coast,  carrying  the  ship  with  it,  drifting  her  to 
the  northward.     On  the  19th,  having  got  free  of  the  ice 
which  clung  to  her  sides,  the  ship  got  into  a  lane  of 
water  stretching  eastward ;  and,  on  the  22d,  rounding 
Cape  Austin,  fairly  entered  into   Melville  Strait      A*! 
length,  on  the  24th,  they  found  themselves  in  a  large 
bay  at  the  western   extremity  of  Banks's  Land,  and, 
seeing  that  it  was  impossible  to  round  its  north-eastern 
horn,  M'Clure  made  up  his  mind  to  winter  whore  he 
was  ■,  and,  in  token  of  his  gratitude  for  his  many  provi- 
dential escapes,  he  appropriately  called  the  place  "  The 
Bay  of  Mercy."     That  night  they  were  firmly  frozen  in. 
It  wa?  now  certain  that  they  would  have  to  spend 
another  winter  in  the  ice.     With  slight  exceptions,  the 
arrangements  made  were  much  the  same  as  those  of  the 
previous  winter.     The  allowance  of  food  was  reduced, 
to  moot  the  contingency  of  an  escape  from  the  ice  not 
being  eflccted  the  following  year  ;  but  this  inconvenience 
was,  to  some  extent,  obviated  by  its  being  discovered 


fmm'nmmimmm 


■ 

iii  ^ 

! 

430 


M'CLUUf/S  EXPLORATIONS. 


tliaL  tlif  \iA^  teemed  with  tlccr  and  haros.  "As  there 
appeared  much  game  in  the  vicinity  "  writes  Captain 
M'Cluro,  "and  tiio  woathir  continu.  •.!  mild,  shooting 
parties  were  established  in  diU'ercnt  directions  between 
the  Dth  and  2;]d  of  October  ;  ho  tliat,  with  wliat  was 
killed  fr.im  the  ship  (ms>  .ji.Mply  of  fresh  provisions  at 
the  commencement  of  the  winter  consisted  of  nine  deer, 
fifty-three  hares,  and  forty-fuur  ptarmigan,  all  in  fine 
condition,  the  former  having  from  two  to  three  inches 
of  fat." 

The  herds  of  dncr  and  troops  of  liares  tliat  congregated 
on  the  broad  plains  of  dwarf  willow,  reiiidecr-moHs,  and 
coarse  grasses  in  the  interior,  are  described  as  perfectly 
marvellous.  Wolves  and  foxes  also  abounded,  and,  as 
cold  and  darkness  increased,  tlie  Ibrmer,  pressed  by 
hunger,  used  to  haunt  the  ship  to  a  disagreeable  extent; 
and  the  sad  prolonged  hoAvl  of  these  gaunt  creatures  in 
the  long  nights  added,  if  possible,  to  the  dismal  char- 
acter of  the  scene.  Two  ravens  also  established  them- 
selves as  friends  of  the  family  in  Mercy  Bay,  and  used 
to  trick  the  ship's  dog  out  of  his  meals  by  enticing  him 
away,  Hying  a  few  yards  at  a  time,  he  running  at  them 
till  they  had  got  him  some  distance  away,  when  thoy 
would  make  a  direct  flight  back,  and  have  done  got.d 
execution  before  the  niortilicd  dog  detected  the  imposi- 
tion practised  upon  him,  and  rushod  back  again. 

"In  consequence  of  our  favored  position,"  says 
M'Clurc,  "  the  crew  were  enabled  to  ramble  over  the 
liills  jilinost  daily  in  quest  of  game,  and  their  exertions 
happily  supplied  a  iVesh  meal  of  venison  three  times  a 
fortnight,  with  the  exception  of  about  three  weeks  in 
January,  when  it  was  too  dark  for  shooting.  The  small 
game,  such  as  ptarmigan  and  hares,  being  scarce,  were 
allowed  to  be  retained  by  the  sportsmen  as  private 
property.     This  healthy  and  exhilarating  exercise  kept 


irUNTINQ   PARTIES. 


431 


as  all  well  and  in  excellent  spirits  during  another 
tedious  winter,  so  that  .on  the  let  of  April  we  had 
upwards  of  a  thousand  pounds  of  venison  hanging  at 
the  yard-arms." 

i\IuHk-oxcn  were  very  numerous.  They  were  found 
to  be  very  ferocious,  and  great  danger  sometirnea 
iittc'iided  the  attacks.  They  wcro  easily  approached, 
but  when  wounded  they  ran  headlong  at  their  assailant. 
On  one  occasion.  Sergeant  Woon,  of  the  marines,  while 
in  pursuit  of  a  wounded  deer,  unexpectedly  met  a 
couple  of  musk-bulls,  which  he  succeeded  in  wounding. 
Having  expended  his  siiot,  as  one  of  the  wounded  and 
infuriated  monsters  rushed  towards  him,  he  fired  his 
"  worm  "  when  at  a  few  yards,  but  without  much  eflbct. 
The  animal  continued  his  advances,  evidently,  however, 
weak  from  loss  of  blood,  till  he  had  reached  witliin  six 
feet,  when  he  put  his  head  to  the  ground,  as  if  for  a 
final  rush.  As  his  last  resource,  the  sergeant  fired  hia 
iron  ramrod,  wliich,  entering  behind  the  animal's  left 
shoulder,  passed  through  the  heart  and  out  at  the  right 
flank,  dropping  him  lifeless. 

December  found  the  crew  of  the  Investigator  passing 
tiieir  tinjo  cheerfully  in  their  far-distant  home  in  Mercy 
Bay.  The  month  came  in  with  a  succession  of  those 
tremendous  snow-storms,  which  are,  perhaps,  the  most 
frightful  visitations  of  the  polar  regions.  But,  after  the 
new  year  (1852)  began,  the  -  oather  was  fine,  with  a 
keen  and  steady  cold  of  from  seventy  to  eighty  degrees 
below  the  freezing-point  of  water  —  a  temperature  which 
severely  tests  the  vital  energies  of  man.  Yet,  wliat 
with  cheerfulness,  exercise,  and  regular  habits,  the  crew 
were  in  good  health. 

One  of  the  hunting  parties  had  well-nigh  proved  fatal 
to  a  colored  man  serving  on  board  the  ship.  Ue  had 
wounded  a  deer,  and  chased  it  till  a  fog  came  on,  and 


VI 


432 


M'CLURE  S  EX  PL(  J  RATIONS. 


ho  loHt  hirt  way.  It  was  in  Jiiiiuury,  und  tho  weiithcf 
was  bitterly  cold  ;  tho  poor  follow  began  to  fancy  him- 
Bclf  frozen  to  death,  and  lost  hirt  witH  entirely.  While 
in  this  state,  Sergeant  Woon  met  nim,  and  ofl'ered  to 
lead  him  to  tho  ship.  Tho  negro,  beside  himself  with 
terror,  could  not  be  made  to  understand  anything,  and 
stood  crying  and  shuddering  till  ho  fell  down  in  a  fit. 
The  sergeant  waited  till  ho  was  restored,  and  then 
cither  carried  him  on  his  back  or  rolled  him  down  hills 
and  hummocks  for  ten  long  hours,  till  ho  got  him  within 
a  mile  of  tho  ship.  But  tho  sergeant  was  by  this  timo 
exhausted.  He  exerted  all  his  powers  of  eloquence 
upon  the  negro  to  induce  him  to  walk.  Tho  poor  creat- 
ure only  begged  to  bo  "  lot  alone  to  die."  Finding  all 
his  arguments  unavailing,  tlie  sergeant  laid  him  in  a 
bed  of  deep  snow,  and,  with  all  his  remaining  strength, 
ran  alone  to  tlie  ship,  lie  procured  assistance  directly, 
and,  returning  to  the  place  where  he  had  left  tho  negro, 
found  him  with  his  arms  stiff  and  raised  above  his  head, 
his  eyes  open,  and  his  mouth  so  firndy  frozen  that  it 
required  great  force  to  open  it  to  pour  down  restora- 
tives. He  was  alivo,  however,  and  eventually  recov- 
ered, though  his  hands,  feet,  and  face,  wore  much  frost- 
bitten. This  case,  and  a  similar  one  already  related, 
illustrate,  in  a  striking  manner,  not  only  tho  effect  of 
intense  cold  on  the  body  and  mind,  but  also  how  much 
the  safety  of  tho  former  depends  on  the  exercise  of  tho 
latter. 

On  tho  5th  of  February  tho  sun  was  seen  above  the 
horizon,  and  tho  sportsmen  became  more  successful, 
scarcely  a  day  passing  without  a  deer  or  hare  being 
shot ;  and  keen  must  have  been  the  hunger  of  those 
sportsmen,  for  more  than  one  of  them,  when,  after  a 
long  and  weary  walk,  he  shot  a  deer  or  hare,  refreshed 
himself  with  a  draught  of  the  animal's  hot  blood,  or  by 


A  THIRD  WINTER  APl'ROACHINO. 


433 


eating  a  nuiiitbful  or  two  of  tho  raw  meat.  The  wolvei 
hud  also  become  cxccodingly  bold,  uiid  talow  aro  told  of 
til*.'  8port»iniaii  pulling  ut  uno  cud  uf  u  Hlaiii  deer,  and 
klie  wolves  at  the  other  I 

On  tho  llth  of  April,  1862,  a  sledgo  oxcurBion  waa 
n\ado  t(i  Winter  Harbor,  Melville  Inland,  —  the  old 
winter  quartern  of  Sir  Edward  Parry, —  and  notice  found 
of  Lieutenant  M'Clintock's  having  been  there  from  the 
west,  tho  previous  summer.  M'Clure  here  depoHitcd  a 
notice  of  his  own  visit,  under  the  Hamo  cairn  that  had 
protected  tho  notice  left  by  iiis  predecessor. 

It  is  remarkable  that,  shortly  after  M'Cluro's  visit  to 
this  spot,  a  sledge-party  from  the  Enterprise,  which  had 
wintered  at  tho  south  end  of  Prince  of  Wales  Strait, 
after  having  been  up  to  near  its  northern  extremity,  and 
having  been  foiled,  like  tho  Investigator,  in  getting  into 
Melville  Strait,  actually  visited  tho  same  spot,  without 
either  party  knowing  that  the  other  was  so  close,  so 
great  is  the  difficulty  of  meeting  one  another  in  regions 
like  those  of  tho  Arctic  archipelago. 

Although  tho  sportsmen  continued  to  meet  with  great 
success,  and  at  one  period  no  less  than  twenty  head  of 
deer  were  hanging  up  round  the  ship,  yielding  a  thou- 
sand pounds  of  meat,  scurvy  began  to  show  itself,  and  to 
make  marked  progress  among  the  crew.  On  the  1st  of 
July  there  were  six  men  in  their  beds,  and  sixteen  had 
evident  symptoms  of  debility,  with  incipient  scurvy. 
On  the  16th  open  water  was  seen  in  tho  straits,  but  the 
ice  in  the  bay  prevented  their  getting  to  it,  and  on  the 
24:th  thii  lead  of  wafer  had  closed  /  It  became  too  obvi- 
ous that  the  winter  was  again  sotting  in.  All  hope  of 
delivcranco  for  another  season  was  cut  off  I 

"On  the  20th  of  August,  1852,"  says  M'Clure,  "the 
temperature  fell  to  27°,  when  the  entire  bay  was  com- 
pletely frozen  over;  and,  on  the  21111,  the  temperature 
38 


liMi 


K> 


I' 

i 

\ 

1? 

I 

i 

i 

i         % 


IKi^^ 

4 

1 

»|n 

^ 

i 

434 


M'CLURE'3  EXPLORATIONS. 


fell  to  19",  60  that  the  whole  aspect  was  chocrluss  in 
the  extreme.  The  young  ice  was  two  and  a  half  inches 
thick,  so  that  the  whole  bay  might  bo  safely  porarnbii 
lated.  Indeed,  the  summer  was  fairly  gone,  for  the 
uplands  were  all  snow-covered,  the  wild-fowl  all  de- 
parted, and  the  flowers,  which  gave  cheerful  variety  to 
this  bleak  land,  were  all  withered.  The  very  season 
might  be  considered  as  one  long,  sunless  day,  as  since 
the  latter  part  of  May  the  great  luminary  had  been 
scarcely  visible,  or  his  influence  scarcely  felt  upon  ^hose 
icy  masses  which  block  Barrow's  Strait  entirely  across  ; 
nor  do  I  imagine  that  the  Polar  Sea  had  broken  up  that 
season,  as  not  a  drop  of  water  had  been  seen  in  that 
direction. 

"During  July,  and  the  early  part  of  August,  the 
crew  were  daily  employed  gathering  sorrel,  of  which 
there  was  a  great  quantity  upon  ^he  hills  in  this  vicinity. 
Eaten  as  a  salad,  with  vinegar,  or  boiled,  when  it 
resembled  spinach,  it  was  found  a  most  admirable  anti- 
scorbutic, and  a  great  benefit  to  all,  ^  ;ing  exceed- 
ingly relished ;  but  this  hardy  and  miserable  herbage 
could  not  withstand  the  rigorous  summer  beyond  the 
15th  of  the  month. 

"  For  several  days  the  ice  had  been  perfectly  station- 
ary, and  no  water  visible  in  any  direction,  that  along 
the  clifls  of  Baidvs's  Land  being  frozen  ;  so  that  I  felt 
assured  that  the  winter  had  fairly  set  in,  and  all  hopes 
of  any  release  this  year  were  totally  annihilated,  the 
young  ice  being  five  inches  thick.  Having  previously 
determined  what  course  I  should  adopt  under  circum- 
Btances  thus  unfavorable,  upon  the  8th  of  September  I 
announced  my  intentions  to  the  crew  of  sending  half  of 
them  to  England  next  April,  with  all  the  oTicers  not  in 
charge  of  stores,  via  Bailiii's  Bay  (taking  the  boat  from 
Capo    Spencer)  and   the   Mackenzie,  detaining  the  re- 


GALLANT  RESOLVE. 


435 


mainder  witli  the  hope  of  extricating  the  vessel  (lining 
the  summer  of  1853  ;  or,  failing  that,  to  proceed  with 
sledges  in  1854  by  Port  Leopold,  our  provisions  admit- 
ting  of  no  other  arrangement. 

"  Althoagii  we  liad  already  been  twelve  months  upon 
two  thirds  allowance,  it  was  necessary  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  meeting  eighteen  months  more ;  a  very  severe 
dep:ivation  and  constitutional  test,  but  one  which  the 
service  we  were  employed  upon  called  for,  the  vessel 
being  as  sound  as  the  day  she  entered  the  ice  ;  it  would, 
therefore,  be  discreditable  to  desert  her  in  1853,  wher 
a  favorable  season  would  run  her  through  the  straitj 
and  admit  of  reaching  England  in  safety,  where  the 
successful  achievement  of  the  long-sought-for  and  almost 
hopeless  discovery  of  the  north-west  passage  would 
be  received  with  a  satisfaction  that  would  amply  com- 
pensate for  the  sacrifices  made  and  hardships  endured 
in  its  most  trying  and  tedious  accomplishment.  This 
statement  was  well  received,  and  its  execution  will,  I 
hope,  be  carried  out  without  difficulty." 

It  is  due  to  Captain  M'Clure  to  reproduce  one  passage 
in  the  dispatch  which  he  had  prepared  to  send  home 
with  the  land  parties  he  was  about  to  forward  in  the 
spring  of  1853. 

"  Should  any  of  her  majesty's  ships  be  sent  for  our 
relief,  and  we  have  quitted  Port  Leopold,  a  notice,  con- 
taining information  of  our  route,  will  be  left  on  the  door 
of  the  house  at  Whalers'  Point,  or  on  some  conspicuons 
position.  If,  however,  no  intimation  should  bo  found 
of  our  having  been  there,  it  may  at  once  be  surmised 
that  some  fatal  catastrophe  has  happened,  cither  from 
our  being  carried  into  the  Polar  Sea,  or  smashed  in  Bar- 
row's Strait,  and  no  survivors  left.  If  such  be  the  case, 
—  which,  however,  I  will  not  anticipate,  —  it  will  then 
be  quite  unnecessary  to  penetrate  further  to  the  we8^ 


;$r'm^ 


V  I 

I: 

436 


M'CLURE'S  EXI'LORATIONS. 


ward  for  our  relief,  as,  by  the  period  that  any  vessel 
could  reach  that  port,  we  must,  from  want  of  provi> 
eions,  all  have  perished.  In  such  a  case,  I  would 
submit  that  the  oiBcers  may  be  directed  to  return,  and 
by  no  means  incur  the  danger  of  losing  other  lives  in 
quest  of  those  who  will  then  be  no  more." 

The  ship  was  banked  up  with  snow  and  i;i-used  over 
on  the  18th  of  November,  and  every  preparation  made 
for  spending  a  third  winter  in  this  region  of  icy  desola- 
tion. The  spirits  of  the  crew,  however,  did  not  flag. 
Resort  was  again  had  to  the  hunting  expeditions  which 
had  occupied  and  cheered  them  so  much  in  previous 
years,  and  their  larder  was  kept  well  stocked  with  pro- 
visions. The  wolves  so  harassed  the  deer,  that  the 
latter  poor  creatures  actually  fled  to  the  ship  for  pro- 
tection. 

"  The  hares  and  ptarmigan,"  writes  M'Ouro,  "have 
descended  from  the  high  ground  to  the  sea  ridges,  so 
that  a  supply  of  game  has  been  kept  up  during  the  win- 
ter, which  has  enabled  a  fresh  meal  to  bo  issued  twice 
weekly,  and  the  usual  Christmas  festivities  to  pass  off 
with  the  greatest  cheerfulness.  As  it  was  to  be  our 
last,  the  crew  were  determined  to  make  it  memorable, 
and  their  exertions  were  completely  successful ;  each 
■  mess  was  gayly  illumiiiated  and  decorated  with  original 
paintings  by  our  lower-deck  artists,  exhibiting  the  ship 
in  her  perilous  positions  during  the  transit  of  the  Polar 
Sea,  and  divers  other  subjects ;  but  the  grand  features 
of  the  day  were  the  enormous  plum-puddings  (some 
weighing  twenty-six  pounds),  haunches  of  venison, 
hares  roasted,  and  soup  made  of  the  same,  with  ptar- 
migan and  sea  pies.  Such  dainties  in  such  profusion  I 
should  imagine  never  before  graced  a  ship's  lower-deck ; 
any  stranger,  to  have  witnessed  this  scene,  could  but 
faintly  imagine  that  he  saw  a  crew  which  had  passed 


I 


PLAN   OF  ESCAPE. 


437 


upwards  of  two  years  in  those  dreary  regions,  and 
three  entirely  upon  their  own  resources,  enjoying  such 
excellent  health  — so  joyful,  so  happy:  indeed,  such  a 
mirthful  assemblage,  under  any  circumstances,  would 
bo  most  gratifying  to  any  oflScer ;  but,  in  this  lonely 
situation,  I  could  not  but  feel  deeply  impressed,  as  I 
CDutemplated  the  gay  and  plenteous  sight,  with  the 
many  and  great  mercies  which  a  kind  and  beneficent 
Providence  had  extended  toward  us,  to  whom  alone 
is  due  the  heartfelt  praises  and  thanksgivings  of  all  for 
the  great  blessings  which  we  have  hitherto  experienced 
in  positions  the  most  desolate  which  can  be  con- 
ceived." 

So  another  winter  passed.  The  spring  again  returned, 
and  the  season  rapidly  approached  when  the  crew  was 
to  divide,  and  the  travelling  parties  were  to  set  out  on 
their  long  and  perilous  journeys :  the  one  to  return  home 
by  the  way  of  the  Mackenzie  River  and  Canada  ;  the 
other  to  proceed  to  Cape  Spencer  (where  a  boat  and 
provisions  had  been  deposited),  and  thence  by  Barrow's 
Strait  to  make  their  way  to  the  nearest  inhabited  coast. 
That  these  journeys  would  prove  long  and  dangerous 
in  the  extreme,  could  not  be  doubted  ;  for  the  return 
parties  were  composed  of  the  most  weakly  hands,  thirty 
of  the  healthiest  men  being  retained  to  stand  by  the 
ship  with  the  captain,  and  brave  the  rigors  of  another 
Arctic  winter. 

But,  while  M'Clure  and  his  gallant  comrades  were 
thus  about  to  resort  to  their  last  desperate  expedient 
for  comiaunicating  with  tho  civilized  world,  relief  was 
at  hand  of  which  they  had  little  expectation.  Provi- 
dential circumstances  interposed  to  do  away  with  the 
necessity  of  committing  their  forlorn  hopes  to  the  snow 
and  ice  deserts  of  the  polar  regions.  These  extiaor- 
dinary  circumBtances  will  be  narrated  in  another  chaj.  ter. 


wmmam 


llHi 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


VOTAQR   OF   TBE   BEfiOI.UTE    ANI>   INTRKrin. — ARRIVAL  AT  DEALT    IgLARD. 
—  BLBDGE-PAUTIES.  —  PARRV's     SANDSTONR   AGAIN.  — NEWS   FROM   TH« 

1NVK8TI0AT0U.  —  IMll'S    JODRNEV. — MEETINO   WITB   u'CLORB. RETDRIT 

TO  THE  RESOLUTE.  — MORE  DEATHS  REI'ORTED.  —  ABANDONMENT  OP  TBB 
INVKSTIGArOR.  —  A  WEARY  SfMMER.  —  CUESSWELL  BENT  WITH  DIS- 
PATCHES.—  INCIDENTS  IN  TUB  VOYAOB  OP  THE  PHlENIX.  —  LOSS  OP  THB 
BREDALBANE  TRANSPORT.  —  DEATH  OP  BELLOT. BIS  AUIAULB  CHAR- 
ACTER.  TDB   PUCENIX   AND   TALBOT   SENT   OCT. 

A  parent's  solicitude  for  his  son  saved  the  crew  of 
the  liivestigator.  We  must  now  again  take  up  the  story 
of  Sir  Edward  Belcher's  expedition,  which  we  left  at 
Beechey  Island  on  the  15tli  of  August,  1852,  just  sep- 
arating into  two  divisions,  —  one  to  proceed  north,  the 
other  west.  It  is  the  westward  division  with  which  we 
have  now  to  do.  It  was  suggested  to  the  British  Ad- 
miralty by  Mr.  Cresswell,  who  had  a  son  with  M'Clure, 
that  that  part  of  Belcher's  expedition  which  was  des- 
tined for  Wellington  Channel  should  bo  directed  upon 
Melville  Island,  as  it  was  the  opijiion  of  General  Sabinb 
and  Captain  Kellett  that  if  Captains  Collinson  and 
M'Clure  were  unable  to  reach  that  island  with  their 
ships,  still  they  would  push  in  there  with  their  sledges. 
The  senior  lord  of  the  Admiralty  saw  the  soundness  of 
Mr.  Cresswell's  views  ;  and  the  Resolute  and  Intrepid, 
under  Captains  Kellett  and  M'Clintock,  were  ordered  to 
proceed  to  Melville  Island. 

In  nearing  Assistance  Bay,  only  thirty  miles  from 
Beechoy  Lsland,  at  which  point  Captain  Kellett  was  to 
leave  a  depot,  the  Resolute  grounded,  was  left  with  but 


SLEDGE  PARTIES. 


439 


gevon  feet  of  water,  thrown  over  en  her  starboard  oilge, 
and  almost  lost.  At  midnight,  however,  she  was  got 
off,  leaving  sixty  feet  of  her  false  keel  behind. 

Kullott  forged  on  in  her,  leaving  dt'jpots  hero  and 
there  a?  he  proceeded ;  and  at  tlio  end  of  the  summei 
had  reached  Melville  Island,  the  westernmost  point  at- 
tained by  Parry  in  1820.  Kellett's  associate,  Capt. 
M'CIintock,  of  the  Intrepid,  had  cf-mmandcd  the  only 
party  which  had  been  hero  since  Parry,  having  come 
over  with  sledges  from  Austin's  squadron,  in  1851,  as 
the  reader  will  remember. 

The  Resolute  and  Intrepid  came  to  anchor  off  Dealy 
Island,  the  place  selected  for  their  winter  quarters  ;  and 
then  Capt.  Kellett  and  his  officers,  with  great  spirit, 
began  to  prepare  for  the  extended  searching  parties  of 
the  next  spring.  Officers  were  already  assigned  to  the 
prop  _  d  lines  of  search ;  and  in  order  to  extend  the 
searches  as  much  as  possible,  and  to  prepare  the  men 
for  the  work  when  it  should  come,  sledge-parties  wore 
sent  forward  to  make  advanced  depots,  in  the  autumn, 
under  the  charge  of  the  gentlemen  who  would  have  to 
use  them  in  the  spring. 

One  of  these  parties  — the  "South  line  of  Melville 
Island  "  party  —  was  under  a  spirited  young  officer, 
Mr.  Mecham,  who  had  seen  service  in  the  last  expedi- 
tion. He  had  two  sledges,  the  Discovery  and  the  Fear- 
less, a  di'pot  of  twenty  days'  provision  to  bo  used  in 
the  spring,  and  enough  ibr  twenty-five  days'  present 
use.  All  the  sledges  had  little  flags,  made  by  some 
young  lady  friends  of  Sir  Edward  Belcher's.  Mr. 
Mecham's  bore  an  armed  hand  and  eword  on  a  white 
ground,  with  the  motto,  "Per  mare,  per  terram,  per 
(jlaciem."  Over  mud,  land,  snow,  and  ice,  they  carried 
their  burden  ;  and  were  nearly  back,  when,  on  the  12th 
o[  October,  1852,  Mr.  Mecham  visited  "Parry's  Sand- 


■»%■■■;  '  - 


440 


A  DISCOVERY 


Btonc,"  near  Winter  Ilarbor,  where  he  had  been  biddtin 
to  leave  a  record.  He  went  on  in  advance  of  his  party, 
meaning  to  cut  tho  date,  1852,  on  the  stone.  On  top 
of  it  was  a  small  cairn,  built  by  M'Clintock  the  year 
before.  Mecham  examined  this,  and,  to  his  surprise,  a 
copper  cylinder  rolled  out.  "  On  opening  it,"  he  says, 
"  I  drew  out  a  roll  folded  in  a  bladder,  which,  being 
frozen,  broke  and  crumbled.  From  its  dilapidated  ap- 
pearance, I  thought,  at  the  moment,  it  must  be  some 
record  of  Sir  Edward  Parry ;  and,  fearing  I  might  damage 
it,  laid  it  do'vii  with  the  intention  of  lighting  the  lire  to 
thaw  it.  My  curiosity,  however,  overcame  my  pru- 
dence, and,  on  opening  it  carefully  with  my  knife,  I  came 
to  a  roll  of  cartridge-paper  with  the  impression  fresh 
upon  'hi  seals.  My  astonishment  may  be  conceived  on 
finding  it  contai~  od  an  account  of  the  proceedings  of 
her  majesty's  ship  Investigator  since  parting  company 
with  the  Ilerald  (Capt.  Kellett's  old  ship),  in  August, 
1850,  in  Behriiig  8  Strait:  also  a  chart  which  disclosed 
to  view  not  only  the  long-sought  north-west  passage,  but 
the  completion  of  the  survey  of  Banks's  and  WoUaston 
Lands.  I  opened  and  endorsed  Commander  M'Clintock'a 
dispatch,  and  found  it  contained  the  following  addition?  : 


'  Opened  nntl  copied  by  his  old  friend  and  messmate,  upon  this  date, 
April  28,  1852.  Rodekt  M'Clure. 

'  Pp.rty  all  woU,  and  return  to  Inrestigator  to-day.'" 

A  great  discovery,  indeed,  to  flash  across  one  in  a 
minute  !  The  Investigator  had  not  been  heard  from  for 
more  than  two  j'oars.  Here  was  news  of  her  not  yet 
nix  months  old  !  The  north-west  passage  liad  been 
dreamed  of  for  throe  centuries  and  more.  Here  was 
news  of  its  discovery,  —  news  that  had  been  known  to 
M'Clure  for  fw  <  years  !     M'Clure  and  M'Clintock  were 


A  FORLORN   HOPE. 


441 


iicutcnants  together  in  the  Enterprise  when  she  was 
sent  after  Sir  John  Franklin,  in  1818,  and  wintered  to- 
gctliet  in  lior  at  Port  Leopold.  Now,  from  diflcrent 
hcinispheres,  they  iiad  come  so  near  meeting  at  this  old 
block  of  sandstone  !  Mr.  Mecham  bade  his  mate  build 
a  new  cairn,  to  put  the  record  of  the  story  in,  and  hur- 
ried on  to  the  Resolute  with  his  great  news. 

It  thus  became  known  to  Kellett  and  his  companions 
that  the  Investigator  had  been  frozen  up  in  the  Bay  of 
Mercy,  only  one  hundred  and  seventy  milns  from  their 
own  position.  It  must  have  been  a  sore  trial,  to  all  par- 
ties, to  wait  the  winter  through,  and  not  even  get  a 
msssage  across.  But,  until  winter  made  it  too  cold  and 
dark  to  travel,  the  ice  in  the  strait  was  so  broken  uj. 
that  it  was  impossible  to  attempt  to  traverse  it,  even 
with  a  light  boat  for  the  lanes  of  water.  So,  the  differ- 
ent autumn  parties  came  in,  and  the  officers  and  men 
entered  on  their  winter's  work  and  play,  to  push  off  the 
winter  days  as  quickly  as  they  could. 

The  system  of  travelling  in  the  fall  and  spring 
abndges  materially  the  length  of  the  Arctic  winter  as 
Ross,  Parry,  and  Back,  used  to  experience  it ;  and  it 
was  only  from  the  1st  of  November  to  the  10th  of 
March  that  Kellett's  party  were  left  to  their  own  re- 
sources. Late  in  October  one  of  the  Resolute's  men 
died,  and  in  Deo  'Hibor  one  of  the  Intropid's  ;  but.  ex- 
cepting these  cases,  tlK;y  had  little  sickness  —  for  weeks 
no  one  on  the  sick-list ;  —  indeed,  Capt.  Kellett  saye  that 
a  sufficiency  of  good  provisions,  with  plenty  of  work 
in  the  open  air,  will  insure  good  health  in  the  Arctic 
climate. 

As  early  in  the  spring  as  he  dared  risk  a  tra\  elling 
party,  namely,  on  the  10th  of  i\Iarch,  185S,  ho  scrt 
what  thov  all  called  a  forlorn  hope  across  to  the  Bay 
of  Mercy,  to  And  traces  of  the  Investigator ;    fo    they 


!■   ."« 


■ 


442 


PIM'3  JOURNEY 


scarcely  ventured  to  hope  that  she  waa  still  there.  Thie 
start  was  earlier  by  thirty-five  days  than  the  early  par 
tics  had  started  on  the  preceding  expedition.  But  it 
was  every  way  essential  that,  if  M'Clure  had  wintered 
in  the  Bay  of  Mercy,  the  messenger  should  reach  him 
before  he  sent  off  any  or  all  his  men,  in  travelling  par- 
ties, in  the  spring.  The  little  forlorn  hope  consisted  of 
ten  men,  under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Pirn,  an  ofllcer 
who  had  been  with  Kellett  in  the  Herald  on  the  Pacific 
side,  had  spent  a  winter  in  the  Plover  up  Behring's 
Strait,  and  had  been  one  of  the  last  men  whom  M'Clure 
and  his  crew  had  seen  before  they  sailed  into  the  Arctic 
Ocean,  to  discovei,  as  it  proved,  the  north-west  pas- 
sage. 

Lieut.  Pim  started  with  a  sledge  and  seven  men  un- 
der his  own  immediate  command,  and  a  dog-sledge  with 
two  men  under  Dr.  I'Dinvillc,  the  surgeon,  who  was  to 
bring  back  the  earliest  news  to  Captain  Kellett  There 
was  also  a  rclicf-slcdge  to  accompany  the  party  a  por- 
tion of  the  way.  Pini's  orders  were  to  go  at  once  to 
the  Buy  of  Mercy  in  search  of  the  Investigator ;  if  she 
was  gone,  to  follow  any  traces  of  her,  and  if  possible  to 
communicate  with  her  or  her  consort,  the  Enterprise. 

One  of  the  sledges  broke  down  soon  after  the  party 
started,  and  they  had  to  send  back  for  another.  15ad 
weather  came  on,  and  compelled  them  to  encamp  on  the 
ice.  "  Fortunately,"  says  the  lieutenant,  "  the  temper 
ature  arose  from  fifty-one  degrees  bflow  zero  to  thirtjp 
six  beiow,  and  there  remained  ;  "  while  the  drifts  accu 
mulatod  to  such  a  degree  around  the  tents,  that  witliii 
thorn  tlie  tiiermometer  was  oidy  twenty  below,  and 
when  they  cookrd  rose  to  zero.  Tlioro  they  lay  three 
days,  smoking  and  sleeping  in  their  bags.  On  the 
fourth  day  a  new  sledge  arrived  from  the  ship,  and  they 
got   under   way   again.     Thus   far  they  wc-e   running 


■MMHMi 


PIM'S  JOURNEY. 


44A 


•long  tho  shore ;  but  they  soon  sent  back  the  relief-parly 
which  had  brought  tho  new  sledge,  and  a  few  days  after 
set  out  to  cross  a  strait,  some  thirty  miles  wide,  which, 
when  it  is  open  (as  no  man  has  yet  seen  it),  is  ono 
avenue  of  the  north-west  passage  discovered  by  these 
expeditions. 

They  got  on  slowly,  and  with  great  difficulty.  Only 
three  miles  the  first  day,  four  miles  tho  second  day,  two 
and  a  half  the  third,  and  half  a  mile  the  fourth  ;  this 
was  all  they  gained  by  most  laborious  hauling  over  the 
broken  ice,  dragging  one  sledge  at  a  time,  and  some- 
times  carrying  forward  tho  stores  separately,  and  going 
back  for  the  sledges.  Two  days  more  gave  them 
another  eight  miles,  but  on  tho  seventh  day  of  their 
passage  across  this  narrow  strait  the  great  sledge 
slipped  off  a  smooth  hummock,  broke  one  runner,  and 
brought  the  party  to  a  stand-still. 

Having  now  nothing  but  the  little  dog-sledge  to  carry 
them  on,  — with  the  ship  a  hundred  miles  off,  and  the 
thermometer  at  eighteen  below  zero,  —  the  two  oflicers 
had  some  discussion  as  to  their  future  proceedings. 
Dr.  Domvillc,  whose  sledge,  the  James  Fitzjames,  was 
still  sound,  thought  they  had  best  leave  the  stores  and 
go  back  ;  but  Lieut.  Pim,  who  had  the  chief  command, 
thought  otherwise;  so  he  took  the  James  Fitzjames,' 
with  the  two  men  belonging  to  it,  and  pushed  on,  leav- 
ing the  doctor  on  the  floe,  but  giving  him  directions  to 
take  th6  broken  sledge  back  to  land,  and  there  wait  for 
him  to  return. 

On  went  the  lieutenant  and  his  two  men,  over  ice, 
over  hummock,  —  feeding  their  dogs  on  preserved  meats 
for  want  of  game,  —  until  they  left  the  strait  behind, 
aiid  came  to  Banks's  Land.  Still  they  found  no  game. 
Pim  was  taken  sick,  and  for  a  whole  day  was  obliged 
to  remain  shut  up  in  the  tent.     A  few  hours'  sleep  r© 


i:^iM^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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1.0 


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14    1 1.6 


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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(7'6)  872-4503 


446 


MEEima  WITH  M'CLURE 


freshed  him,  and  the  party  started  on  again  A.t  last, 
after  many  weary  days'  travel,  they  got  upon  the  Bay 
of  Mercy.  No  ship  was  in  sight.  Right  across  the 
bay  went  the  lieutenant  to  search  for  records,  when,  at 
two  o'clock  p.  ii.,  one  of  the  men  saw  something  black 
in  the  distance.  Pim  looked  through  his  glass,  and 
made  it  out  to  be  a  ship.  Forthwith  the  whole  party 
proceeded  as  fast  as  possible  toward  it.  Pim,  hurrying 
along,  soon  got  in  advance  of  the  sledge,  and  walked 
on  alone. 


On  the  6th  of  April,  1853,  the  little  crew  of  the  In- 
vestigator was  in  low  spirits  :  one  of  their  comrades 
had  just  poisoned  himself.  All  hands  were  preparing 
for  the  separation  which  was  to  take  place  in  the  follow- 
ing week,  and  were  looking  forward  with  gloomy  fore- 
bodings to  their  slender  chances  of  escape,  when  an 
event  occurred,  which  we  give  in  M'Clure's  own  words : 

"  Whilo  walking  near  the  ship,  in  conversation  with 
the  first  lieutenant  upon  the  subject  of  digging  a  grave 
for  the  man  who  died  yesterday,  and  discussing  how  we 
could  cut  a  grave  in  the  ground  whilst  it  was  so  hardly 
frozen  (a  subject  naturally  sad  and  depressing),  we  per- 
ceived a  figure  walking  rapidly  towards  us  from  the 
rough  ice  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay.  From  his  pace 
and  gestures  we  both  naturally  supposed,  at  first,  that 
he  was  some  one  of  our  party  pursued  by  a  bear ;  but, 
as  we  approached  him,  doubts  arose  as  to  who  it  could 
be.  He  was  certainly  unlike  any  of  our  men ;  but, 
recollecting  that  it  was  possible  some  one  might  be  try- 
ing a  now  travelling-dress  preparatory  to  the  departure 
of  our  sledges,  and  certain  that  no  one  else  was  near, 
we  continued  to  advance. 

"  When  within  about  two  hundred  yards  of  us,  the 
strange  figure  threw  up  his  arms,  and  made  gesticula- 


•11  ^ 


MEEHNU  WITH  M'CLJRE:  447 

Honsrc,cmblmgth„.e  „,ed  byE,,„i„au.,  besides  .hout 
lug  at  the  top  of  his  voice  words  which  from  tk.  °  j 
«  _i„te.se  oxcite^eat  of  the  mol  t  's  Tded  Mr 

rface^r:srbSrarebCr:r:v:t7e*"' 

we  gallantly  stood  our  ground,  and,  had  the  skies  fallen 

ZIT  >,         """"■'^meat  of  relief  being  close   a. 
're  i'c  «1"™  r  '•"''"''  '°  '«  "»  wl^bin  thl 

iTtriotrdii^^T^^^^^^^^^^^ 

rushed  forTe  hatt  J     tf""*  °'  ■"™'  «>^  "'"y  »" 
was  aotuall^^tf  S  IdMr^  ?f  "  "~^' 
Despondency  fled  the  sh^,  anVu  „rp:^"'  ™  ^ 
welcome  —  pure    hpnrf^      ^  "°  received  a 

•  Rendered  black  by  the  lamp^^ok,  in  hi,  fnt 


iili^  11:  J  iiii 


448 


ABANDONMENT  OF  THE  INVESTTOATOR. 


was  at  first  inclined  to  favor  M'Clure's  plan  of  endear 
oring  to  save  the  Investigator ;  but  on  the  2d  May 
Lieut.  Cresswell  arrived  from  her  with  the  report  of  two 
more  deaths.  Then  it  was  arranged  that  Dr.  Domville 
Bliould  go  back  with  M'Clure  and  hold  a  survey  on  the 
health  of  the  crew ;  that  those  who  were  unfitted  to 
stand  another  winter  should  be  ordered  home,  and  that 
the  healthy  should  have  their  option  of  going  or  re- 
maining. The  result  was  that  only  four  men  were  will- 
ing to  remain,  though  the  ofiiccrs  all  gallantly  volun- 
teered to  stand  by  the  vessel.  Boats,  stores,  &c.,  were 
accordingly  landed  to  form  a  d^p6t  for  the  use  of  Collin- 
son,  FraTiklin,  or  any  other  person  who  might  happen 
along,  and  on  the  3d  June,  1853,  the  colors  were  hoisted 
to  the  mast-head,  and  officers  and  crew  bade  a  last 
farewell  to  the  Investigator.  They  arrived  at  Dealy 
Island  on  the  17th,  and  wore  accommodated  on  board 
the  Resolute  and  Intrepid. 

Kellett's  plan  was  to  send  them  down  to  Beechey  Island 
in  the  Intrepid  at  the  first  breaking  up  of  the  ice.  More 
than  half  his  crews  were  out  on  searching  expeditions 
when  the  Investigator's  men  arrived.  Parties  under 
M'Clintock,  Mecham,  and  Hamilton,  were  searching 
every  foot  of  land  to  the  north  and  north-we^  of  Mel- 
ville Island.  They  all  came  in  at  last,  having  found  no 
traccH  of  Sir  John  Franklin.  Finding  that  nothing  more 
could  ;  done  in  a  north-west  direction,  Kellett  deter- 
mined to  take  both  vessels  to  Beechey  Island  as  soon  as 
the  ice  would  admit.  All  his  arrangements  were  made 
for  starting  at  any  moment.  He  built  a  store-house  on 
the  island,  stocked  it  well  with  provisions,  and  left  in  it 
this  record  : 

"  This  is  a  house  which  I  have  named  the  '  Sailor's  Home,'  under  th« 
especial  patronftge  of  my  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty. 

"  Here  royal  sailors  and  marines  are  fed,  clothed,  and  reoeive  double 
p»y  for  inhabiting  it." 


LOSS  OF  BREDALBANE  TRANSPORT. 


i 


449 


All  the  other  usual  expedients  were  resoried  to  to  while 
away  the  time;  but  after  the  excitement  of  the  search- 
nig  parties  was  over  the  summer  passed  drearily  The 
loe  showed  no  sign  of  breaking  up.  Mr.  Roche,  mate 
of  the  Resolute,  who  had  been  sent  down  to  the  North 
Star  for  provisions,  returned  unexpectedly,  having  been 
to  Beechey  Island  and  back,  a  distance  of  six  hundred 
miles,  in  six  weeks.  Capt.  Richards  arrived  from  North- 
umberland Sound,  bringing  news  from  Belcher's  divi- 
eion.     Little  else  occurred  to  break  the  monotony 

Meanwhile  Lieut.  Cresswell  had  been  sent  down  to 
Beechey  Island  with  dispatches  for  the  Admiralty 
There  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  taken  on  board  of 
the  Phoenix,  in  which,  as  we  have  seen,  he  returned  to 
England,  bringing  the  first  news  of  the  safety  of  the 
Investig  itor,  and  the  discovery  of  the  north-west  pas- 
sage. 

Before  we  proceed  further  with  the  adventures  of  the 
companions  whom  he  left  at  Dealy  Island,  there  are  some 
other  matters  of  interest  connected  with  this  voyage 
of  the  Phoenix,  which  it  will  be  well  to  relate  in  this 
place.  One  of  these  is  the  loss  of  the  Bredalbane  trans- 
port,  by  one  of  those  terrible  "  nips  "  which  are  so  often 
encountered  in  the  polar  seas.  This  occurred  near  Cape 
Riloy,  on  the  21st  August,  1853,  and  was  witnessed  by 
the  crew  of  the  Phoenix,  in  which  vessel  the  Bredalbane's 
crew  took  refuge.  It  shows  how  very  easily  a  vessel 
may  be  destroyed  in  the  Arctic  regions,  without  a  ves- 
tige  being  left  behind  to  tell  the  tale.  We  give  the 
incident  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Fowckner,  the  agent  for 
the  ship,  who  was  on  board  at  the  time  : 

"About  ton  minutes  past  four  the  ice  passing  the 

Bhip  awoke  me,  and  the  door  of  my  cabin,  from  the 

I)res8ure,  opened.     I  hurriedly  put  on  my  clothes,  and, 

on  getting  up,  found  some  hands  on  the  ice  endeavor- 

29 


460 


LOSS  OF   BKEDALBANE  TRANSPORT. 


'ii 


Mi 


,1 
t 


, ;  ■  >t 

f.  'i 


iiig  to  save  the  boats,  but  these  were  instantly  crushoil  to 
pieces.     I  went  forward  to  hail  the  Phoenix,  for  r.cn  tc 
save  the  boats ;  and  whilst  doing  so  the  ropes  by  which 
we  were  secured  parted,  and  a  heavy  nip  took  the  ship, 
making  her  tremble  all  over,  and  every  timber  in  hei 
creak.     I  looked  in  the  main  hold,  and  saw  the  beams 
giving  way ;  I  hailed  those  on  the  ice,  and  told  them  of 
our  critical  situation.     I  then  rushed  to  my  cabin,  and 
called  to  those  in  their  beds  to  save  their  lives.     On 
reaching  the  deck,  those  on  the  ice  called  out  to  me  to 
jump  over  the  side  —  that  the  ship  was  going  over.     1 
jumped  on  the  loose  ice,  and,  with  diflSculty,  and  the 
assistance  of  those  on  the  ice,  succeeded  in  getting  on 
the  unbroken  part.     After  being  on  the  ice  about  five 
minutes,  the  timbers  in  the  ship  cracking  up  as  matches 
would  in  the  hand,  the  nip  eased  for  a  short  time,  and  I, 
with  some  others,  returned  to  the  ship,  with  the  view 
of  saving  some  of  our  effects.     Captain  Inglefield  now 
came  running  toward  the  ship.     He  ordered  me  to  see 
if  the  ice  was  through  the  ship  ;  and,  on  looking  down 
in  the  hold,  I  found  all  the  beams,  &c.,  falling  about  in 
a  manner  that  would  have  been  certain  death  to  mo 
had  1  ventured  down  there.     It  was  too  evident  that 
the  ship  could  not  last  many  minutes.     I  then  sounded 
ti.e  well,  and  found  five  feet  in  the  hold  ;  and  whilst  in 
the  act  of  sounding,  a  heavier  nip  than  before  pressed 
out  the  starboard-bow,  and  the  ice  was  forced  right  into 
the  forecastle.     Every  one  then  abandoned   the  ship, 
with  what  few  clothes  he  could  save  —  some  with  only 
what  they  had  on.     The  ship  now  began  to  sink  fast, 
and  from  the  time  her  bowsprit  touched  the  ice  until 
her  mast-heads  were  out  of  sight  it  was  not  above  one 
minute  and  a  half.     From  the  time  the  first  nip  took  hei 
until  her  disappearance,  it  was  not  more  than  fifteen 
micutes." 


rri 


DEATH  OF  BELLOT. 


451 


But  the  saddest  episode  in  Arctic  history  that  Ingle- 
field  had  to  report  was  the  death  of  Lieut.  Bellot.  the 
gallant  young  Frenchman  who  t.cted  so  prominent  a 
part  in  the  voyage  of  the  Prince  Albert,  under  Kennedy. 
Bellot's  zeal  and  enthusiasm  had  led  him  again  into  the 
regions  of  ice  and  snow,  under  Inglefield.  While  there, 
ho  volunteered  to  lead  a  party  over  the  ice,  in  August,' 
J  853,  to  Sir  Edward  Belcher's  squadron,  which  was  at 
that  time  near  Cape  Beecher,  in  Wellington  Channel. 
This  party  consisted  of  four  men  — namely,  Harvey, 
Johnson,  Madden,  and  Hook, 

On  Friday,  the  12th  of  August,  he  started,  with  his 
little  band,  from  Beechey  Island  (at  which  place   the 
North   Star  was  lying),  in  charge  of  dispatches  from 
Captain  Pullen.    At  this  season  of  the  year  travelling 
on  ice  is  always  considered  dangerous,  both  on  account 
of  its  decayed  condition,  and  its  liability  to  separate 
from  the  shore  and  break  up.     Accordingly,  Pullen  cau- 
tioned Bellot  to  keep  as  close  to  the  eastern  shore  of 
Wellington  Channel  as  possible,  and  provided  the  party 
with  one  of  the  light  India-rubber  boats,  which  could  be 
easily  dragged  on  their  sledge,  and  without  which,  rA 
such  a  season,  it  would  have  been  very  unsafe  to  travel. 
That  evening  they  encamped  about  three  miles  from 
Cape  Innes.   Next  day  they  made  considerable  progress, 
and  when  night  approached  made  their  bed  upon  the 
broken  ice  over  which  they  had  been  plodding  during 
the  day.     This  was  near  Cape  Bowden.     On  the  follow- 
ing  day,  which  was  Sunday,  they  passed  a  crack  about 
f  >ur  feet  wide,  running  across  the  channel.     During  all 
this  time  no  doubts  were  entertained  as  to  the  safe  con- 
dition  of  the  ice ;  and  Bellot,  in  his  usual  encouraging 
way,  cheered  on  the  men,  and  put  his  shoulder  to  the 
tracking^lines,  saying  that  he  wished  to  get  to  a  cape 
which  was  seen  a  good  way  ahead,  and  which  he  called 


462 


DEATH  OF  BELLOT. 


1%. 


m 


i 


Capo  Orinncll.     Near  this  it  was  desirable  to  oiicamp 
in-shoro,  if  possible. 

On  arriving  at  the  cape,  it  was  found  that  there  was 
a  broad  bolt  of  water  between  the  ice  and  the  shore. 
This  would  have  been  a  matter  of  little  moment,  had 
there  been  no  wind,  as  they  could  have  easily  crossed 
it  in  the  boat ;  but  there  was  unfortunately  a  strong 
breeze  blowing  from  the  south-east,  which  curled  up  the 
Burface  of  the  cold  black  waves  in  a  very  ominous  way. 
There  was  no  help,  however  ;  so  the  boat  was  launched, 
and  Bc'Uot  endeavored  to  reach  the  shore  in  it  alone, 
intending  to  convey  a  line  by  which  the  remainder  of 
the  party  and  the  provisions  might  be  dragged  over. 
In  this  attempt  he  failed,  the  violence  of  the  gale  being 
too  much  for  him  ;  he  therefore  returned  to  the  ice, 
and  ordered  Harvey  and  Madden  to  get  in  and  attempt 
the  passage  together.  This  tliey  did,  and  were  suc- 
cessful in  landing ;  after  which  they  began  the  opera- 
tion of  passing  and  repassing  the  boat  between  the  ice 
and  the  shore,  by  means  of  lines.  In  this  way  three 
loads  were  landed  from  the  sledge,  and  the  party  on  the 
ice  were  hauling  the  boat  oS"  for  a  fourth,  when  Mad- 
den, who  had  hold  of  the  shore-line,  and  was  up  to  his 
middle  in  the  water,  called  out  suddenly  that  the  ice 
was  on  the  move,  and  driving  off  shore.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  he  could  not  hold  the  line  longer  without 
being  dragged  into  deep  water ;  so  Bellot  called  ont  to 
him  to  let  go,  which  he  did. 

Bellot  and  his  two  men  then  hauled  the  boat  on  to 
the  sledge,  and  ran  it  up  to  the  windward  side  of  the 
ice,  intending  to  launch  it  there  and  make  for  the  shore. 
Ere  this  could  bo  accomplished,  however,  the  ice,  whose 
motion  was  rapidly  increasing,  had  drifted  so  far  from 
the  shore  as  to  render  all  idea  of  reaching  it  hopeless 
It  may  be  imagined  with  what  feelings   Madden   and 


iiiiijui 


DEATH  OF  BELLOT 


463 


narvey  now  hastened  to  an  eminence,  and  watched 
then-  comrades  drifting  out  to  eea  on  a  floe  of  ice  with 
a  bitter  breeze  urging  them  further  and  further  from 
hope  of  escape,  and  deeper  among  the  drifting  ire 
During  two  hours  they  sat  thus  watching  them,  until  at 
last  they  were  lost  to  view  amid  the  driving  snow. 
When  last  seen,  the  two  men  were  standing  by  the 
sledge,  and  Bellot  on  the  top  of  a  hummock. 

Madden  and  Harvey  now  descended  to  the  shore 
and  instantly  began  their  return-journey  to  the  ship' 
They  walked  round  Griffin  Bay,  with  very  little  provi- 
sions  and  reached  Cape  Bowden,  where  they  remained 
to  take  some  rest.  While  there,  two  men  were  seen 
hastening  toward  them.  To  their  great  surprise  and 
joy,  those  proved  to  be  Johnson  and  Hook,  who  had 
almost  miraculously  escaped  from  their  perilous  position 
on  the  ice ;  but  their  sad  countenances  too  truly  told 
that  their  companion,  the  bravo  young  Frenchman,  was 
gone. 

After  getting  a  little  refreshment,  the  whole  party 
now  returned  to  their  ship,  which  they  reached  in  safety 
though  not  without  much  difficulty  and  severe  privation! 
The  melancholy  fate  of  poor  Bellot  cannot  be  better  told 
than  by  giving  it  in  the  words  of  Johnson,  who  was 
with  him  on  the  ice  at  the  time  of  his  death     "  Wo 
got  the  provisions  on  shore,"  says  he,  "  on  Wednesday. 
the  nth     After  we  had  done  that,  therr  remained  on 
he  ice  Hook  Lieut.  Bellot,  and  myself,  having  with  us 
the  sledge.  Mackintosh-awning,  and  little  boat.     Com- 
menced  trying  to  draw  the  boat  and  sledge  to  the  south- 
ward,  but  found  the  ice  driving  so  fast  that  we  left  the 
sedge  and  took  the  boat  only;  but  the  wind  was  so 
«trong  at  the  time  that  it  blew  the  boat  over  and  over 
VVe  then  took  the  boat  with  us,  under  shelter  of  a  piece 
of  ICO,  and  Mr.  Bellot  and  ourselves  commenced  cutting 


ill 


454 


DEATH  OF  BELLOT. 


an  ice-houso  with  our  knives  for  eholter.  Mr.  Bellot  sat 
for  half  an  hour  in  conversation  with  us,  talking  on  the 
danger  of  our  position.  I  told  him  I  was  not  afraid,  and 
that  the  American  expedition  was  driven  up  and  down 
this  channel  by  the  ice.  He  replied,  '  I  know  they 
wore  ;  and  when  the  Lord  protects  us,  not  a  hair  of  our 
heads  shall  be  touched.' 

"  I  then  asked  Mr.  Bellot  what  time  it  was.  He  said, 
'  About  quarter  past  eight  a.  m.'  (Thursday,  the  18th), 
and  then  lashed  up  his  books,  ar.d  said  he  would  go  and 
see  how  the  ice  was  driving.  He  had  only  been  gone 
about  four  minutes,  when  I  went  round  the  same  hum- 
mock under  which  we  were  sheltered  to  look  for  him, 
bnt  could  not  see  him  ;  and,  on  returning  to  our  shelter, 
saw  his  stick  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  crack,  about  Sve 
fathoms  wide,  and  the  ice  all  breaking  up.  I  then 
called  out  '  Mr.  Bellot ! '  but  no  answer  —  (at  this  time 
blowing  very  heavy).  After  this,  I  again  searched 
round,  but  could  see  nothing  cf  him. 

"  I  believe  that  when  he  got  from  the  shelter  the 
wind  blew  him  into  the  crack,  and,  his  south-wester 
being  tied  down,  he  could  not  rise.  Finding  there  was 
no  hope  of  again  seeing  Lieut.  Bellot,  I  said  to  Hook, 
'  I  'm  not  afraid  :  I  know  the  Lord  will  always  sustain 
us.'  We  commenced  travelling,  to  try  to  get  to  Cape 
De  Haven,  or  Port  Phillips ;  and,  when  we  got  within 
two  miles  of  Cape  De  Haven,  could  not  get  on  shore  ; 
and  returned  for  this  side,  endeavoring  to  get  to  the 
southward,  as  the  ice  was  driving  to  the  northward. 
We  were  that  night  and  the  following  day  in  coming 
across,  and  came  into  the  land  on  the  eastern  shore  a 
long  way  to  the  northward  of  the  place  where  we  were 
driven  off.  V/e  got  into  the  land  at  what  Lieut.  Bellot 
told  us  was  Point  Hogarth. 

"  In  drifting  up  the  straits  towards  the  Polar  Sea,  we 


ri 


& 


rrs 


DEATH  OP  BELLOT 


455 


■aw  an  iceberg  lying  close  to  the  shoio,  and  found  i( 
on  the  ground.  We  succoodod  iu  getting  on  it,  and 
remained  for  six  hours.  I  said  to  David  Hook,  '  Don'l 
bo  afraid ;  wc  must  make  a  boat  of  a  piece  of  ice  • 
•Accordingly,  wo  got  on  to  a  piece  passing,  and  1  had  a 
paddio  belonging  to  the  India-rubber  boat.  By  this 
piece  of  drift-ice  we  managed  to  reach  the  shore,  and 
then  proceeded  to  where  the  accident  happened. 
Reached  ,t  on  Friday.  Could  not  find  our  shipmates,  or 
any  provisions.  Went  on  for  Cape  Bowden,  and 
reached  it  on  Friday  night." 

When  the  Esquimaux  heard  of  Bellot's  death  they 
Bhed  tears,  and  cried  "Poor  BellotI  poor  BellotI" 
Two  years  before,  he  had  seen  an  Esquimaux  dragging 
himself  painfully  over  the  ice,  with  a  broken  leg.  To 
call  the  carpenter,  give  him  directions  to  make  a  wooden 
log  for  the  poor  fellow,  and  to  teach  him  to  walk  with  it 
were  matters  of  course  for  the  generous  young  French- 
man ;  but  they  were  unusual  kindnesses  for  a  white  man 
to  show  to  an  Esquimaux,  and  the  simple-hearted  peo- 
plo  remembered  it  when  they  cried  "  Poor  Bellot  I  " 

Poor  Bellot  I -his  was  a  brave,  a  generous,  and  a 
kindly  heart.      His  talents   and   energy  were  deeply 
appreciated  by  the  nation  to  which  he  had  volunteered 
his  services  ;    and  his   affectionate,  manly  disposition 
had  endeared  him  to  the  comrades  with  whom  he  had 
spent  so  many  stormy  days  and  nights  in  the  regions 
of  ice  and  snow.     The  howling  blast  of  the  north,  and 
the  dark  waters  of  the  polar  seas,  are  sweeping  over 
his    mortal    frame;    but   an   imperishable   wreath  — a 
tribute  of  gratitude  and  affection,  twined  by  the  hands 
of  France  and  England  — shall  rest  upon  his  brow  for- 
ever. 

Mr.  Bellot  is  another  added  to  the  list  of  those  brave 
enthusiastic  spirits,  that  have  been  thus  prematurely 


466 


DEATH  OF   DELLOT. 


'  t 


;.'i 


■natchod  away,  and  wrapt  In  the  cold  otnhraco  of  the 
Arctic  Boas.  The  Eiigliah  have  oxproHSfd  tlioir  Benne 
of  his  BorviccH  and  his  virtues  by  a  Bul)8cripti()n  for  hfa 
family,  and  for  a  inonuinont  to  bo  orcctud  to  liia  memory 
in  Urceiiwich  IIoHpital. 

Capt.  Inplefu'ld,  in  his  stoamor  tho  Phoenix,  accom- 
panied by  tho  Bailing-vcHBol  Talbot,  was  sent  to  the 
Arctic  regions  again  in  1854,  with  dispatchen  and  sup- 
plies for  Sir  E.  Belcher.  There  wo  uhali  hear  of  him 
again  in  tho  courBe  of  our  narrative. 


H-'-ii 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

fH.   nwOLDTl   A«0    ,„TBEP,a-B,..T    >10A,»._W,»T«    «    TM   PiCl 
-BOTH    V.M«,^   *BAMOO»BD._„„.c„.„-»    «xrLOBAT.U«.  _  ,«m, 
or    .T„„<^„„.  _,„.,„    „    „,,„    „„^,„^^    ...AH0.-ABA.0  ;! 

B«CDBT   I.LAKO.- ARRIVAL   OF   TO.   Pm«,X     AND  TAWOT.  -  R.TUR, 
T0TA8«._BA3i    UPBDITIOir.  _  R,UCI    Or    FRAHKUH.- AI»0«Mo«'i 

Thr  Resolute  and  Intrepid,  with  their  inmates,  inclu* 
ing  the  sixty  men  from  the  Investigator,  remained  ico- 
bound  at  Dealy  Island  during  tho  best  part  of  the 
summer  of  1853.  At  last,  on  tho  I8th  of  August  a 
strong  galo  blowing  ofl*  shore  broke  up  the  ico  Tho 
vessels  at  onco  got  under  way  ;  by  night  they  were  at 
sea,  and  the  navigators  congratulated  themselves  that 
they  were  now  fairly  making  progress  towards  home. 
1  ut  withm  twenty.four  hours  they  were  brought  up  bv 
the  pack  of  Byam  Martin  Channel ;  and  there  they  lay 
watching  for  an  opening  to  dash  across  to  Bathurst  Land 
and  run  for  Beechey  Island  under  its  lee. 

Day  after  day  passed.  The  drifting  pack  presented 
no  available  opening.  Winter  was  fast  advancing 
The  prospect  of  escape  before  another  season  began  to 
ook  gloomy.  Still,  the  navigators  did  not  abandon 
tho  hope  ;  but  they  occupied  themselves  in  securing 
game  as  a  provision  against  the  coming  winter.  This 
they  found  in  abundance,  espocially  musk-oxen  ;  and 
some  ten  thousand  pounds  were  obtained  and  frozen 
4n  attempt  was  finally  made  to  force  through  the  pack- 


'i!^ 


( 


V        - 


458 


TUE  RESOLUTE  AND  INTREPID 


tf--^ 


but  on  tlio  9th  of  September  the  vessels  became  firnilj 
imbedded  in  the  newly-formed  ice,  and,  a  north-west  gale 
forcing'  the  pack  upon  them,  they  were  fairly  beset,  and 
obliged  to  go  whither  it  and  Providence  listed. 

Two  months  they  wore  drifting  helplessly,  auidsi 
great  perils.  Right  pleased  was  Kellett  to  find  that 
after  the  12tii  of  November  the  ships  were  at  rest, 
having  reached  a  point  about  due  east  of  Winter  Uarbor, 
Melville  Island,  in  longitude  101°  west, — an  admiralio 
position  for  an  early  escape  in  the  ensuing  season. 
Here  they  passed  the  winter  of  1853-4,  —  long  months 
of  darkness  and  weariness,  but  with  no  worse  mishap 
than  the  loss  of  one  officer,  who  died  on  tho  14th  of 
November. 

The  log-book  of  that  winter  is  a  curious  record  ;  the 
ingenuity  of  the  officer  in  charge  was  well  tasked  to 
make  one  day  differ  from  another.  Each  day  hao  the 
ilrst  entry  for  "  ship's  position  "  thus  :  "  In  the  floe  off 
Cape  Cockburn  ; "  and  the  blank  f(  r  the  second  entry 
thus ;  "  in  the  same  position."  Lectures,  theatriculs, 
schools,  etc.,  whiled  av;  ay  the  time. 

The  spring  of  1854  arrived.  M'CIure  and  his  crew 
started  with  sledges  on  the  14th  of  April  for  Bcechey 
Island,  to  find  a  resting-place  on  board  the  North  Star 
and  at  the  d^pot.  Kellett  made  arrangements  to  con- 
tinue the  search.  While  thus  engaged,  he  received  a 
letter  from  Si:-  Edward  Belcher,  suggesting  that,  rather 
than  risk  the  dotcntioa  of  another  season,  he  should 
abandon  his  ships  and  meet  him  (Belcher)  at  Becchey 
leland  before  the  26 ih  of  August.  Kellett  remon- 
strated, stating  that  the  vessels  were  in  a  favorable 
position  for  escape  ;  that  tliey  had  abundance  of  pro- 
visions, and  that  parties  concerned  in  deserting  ships 
u'lder  such  circumstances  "  would  deserve  to  have  the 
iackets  taken  off  their  backs  "     Then  came  a  j^ouitive 


REMAINS  OF   ESQUIMAUX  HOUSES.  459 

Two  distant  travelling  parties  were  already  out  on 
searching  expeditions.  Word  was  left  at  a  proper  point 
ur  then-  guidance.  Then,  having  fitted  the  Intrepid'a 
.igu^es  BO  that  she  could  be  got  under  steam  in  two 
hours  having  stored  both  ships  with  provisions,  and 
made  them  ,n  every  respect "  ready  for  occupation,"  Kel- 
lett  ordered  the  hatches  to  be  calked  down,  all  hands 

h'e  15t     Ti"'  '^'^  *'^  ^""^"*^  ^"^  I"*-P^d,  and  o, 
he  15th  of  May,  1854,  thoy  started,  with  sledges,  for 

Beechey  i„,„d  where  their  unexpected  arrival lused 
much  surprise  to  the  officers  and  crew  of  the  Investi- 
gator, who  had  preceded  them. 

All    this  time  the   other   division  of  the  squadron 

onsistmg  of  the  Assistance  and  Pioneer,   under  ^; 

Ldward  Belcher,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  Liled  north 

n  the  day  before  Kellett  sailed  west,  namely,  on  the 

14th  of  August,  1852,  had  been  engaged  in  eiolmW 

Wellington  Channel.     Having  roaolL^Z^otT^' 

and    ongi  ude   ST"  west,  the  vessels  came  to   ancho; 

.n  a  locality  near  Cape  Beecher,  which  was  chosen  fo 

hir  winter  quarters.     Boat  and  sledge  explorations  to 

On  Z7.Z    T"  ^'^"^•"^"^^d  «n  the  23d  of  August. 
On  the  25th,  when  rounding  a  point  where  the  coast 

::  S 1"^- "  "^^-^--•^'  ^^-  -mains  of  seve: 
^^cll-b  ult  Esquimaux  houses  were  discovered.     "  Thev 

ground,  fi  U,d  in  between  by  about  two  foet  of  fin. 
?ravel  well  paved,  and,  withal,  presenting  the  appeal: 
ance  of  great  care -more,  indeed,  than  I  am  will  11 
at  rib,,  to  the  ..de  inhabitants  or  migrator^Efq,! 
maux  Bones  of  deer,  wolves,  seals,  etc.,  were  nun.er- 
•>"s.  and  coal  was  found."     There  is  no  mention  of  any 


ll 


460 


BELCHER'S   EXPEDITION. 


ih 


search  having  been  made  for  a  record,  though  hi  all 
j)robal)ility  tliis  was  not  neglected  ;  yet  tlie  abser.cc  of 
any  cairn  would  seem  to  render  it  unlikely  that  such  a 
document  existed. 

The  explorations  led  to  the  discovery  of  various  lands, 
to  the  most  extensive  of  which  the  name  of  North  Corn- 
wall was  given,  and  of  several  islands  washed  by  a  sea 
open  to  the  north,  which  Belcher  regarded  as  the  polar 
basin.  The  name  of  Victoria  Archipelago  was  given  to 
ft  group  of  islands  in  18°  10'  ;  and  the  easternmost,  form- 
ing the  channel  which  communicates  with  the  Polar  Sea, 
was  named  North  Kent. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  1853,  the  north-cast  division  of  the 
sledging-parties  left  the  ship,  and  soon  reached  the  limit 
of  their  discoveries  of  the  previous  year. 

During  this  journey  Belcher  pushed  toward  North 
Cornwall  and  Jones's  Strait;  but  was  unexpectedly 
stopped  beyond  Cape  Disraeli,  about  the  end  of  thti 
month  on  which  he  set  out,  by  the  early  disruption  of 
the  ice. 

"  Tiie  sight  which  I  obtained  from  this  cape,"  says 
he,  "  elevat(!d  six  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the 
f.ca,  led  me  to  hope  for  better  success  due  east.  On 
tliat  course  we  pn-ceeded  three  days  on  a  smooth  floe, 
making  thirty-six  miles,  when  we  reached,  on  the  18th, 
the  entrance  of  a  splendid  channel.  Fog  had  for 
some  time  worried  us  with  indistinct  glimpses  of  the 
approaches  ;  but,  as  it  now  cleared  oil",  and  the  sun 
enlivened  the  scene,  we  were  regaled  with  such  a  mag- 
nificent view  of  successive  beetling  headlands  c  n  either 
side  of  the  channel,  and  extending  for  about  twenty 
miles,  that  it  really  became  a  puzzling  matter  tu  iiiul 
names  for  them.  Of  one  thing  I  felt  quite  convinced  — 
namely,  that  we  were  now  really  in  Jones's  Channel. 
The  latitude,  the    direction,  the   limit  ir   longit\ide   to 


CELCIIER'S  EXPEDITION. 


461 


which  we  could  SCO,  or.ly  required  a.,  extennion  of  sixtv 
«ues  to  load  to  the  cairn  erected  by  Captain  Austin's 
party  flie  roughness  of  the  frozen  pack  now  com- 
pelled us  to  take  to  the  hu.d,  and  we  advanced  easily 
five  or  8.x  miles,  when  a  further  stop  to  our  pnZ 
res8  was  opposed  in  the  shape  of  an  abrupt  glacier 
and  he  mortifying  discovery  that  its  base  was  washed 
by  he  sea,  wlale  the  ofl'-lying  pack  was  rotten  and 
tumbling  asunder. 

"Not  easily  daunted,  it  was   determined  to  try  an 
overland  route,  and  avoid  this  unfortunate  hole,  as  we 
then  thought  It.    Provisions,  etc..  were  strapped  on.  and 
we  soon  started  to  view  what  we  had  to  contend  with 
before  deciding  on  our  ultimate  mode  of  action.     The 
hd  s  continued   increasing  in  height  as  we   advanced 
until    they  reached    fifteen  hundred    feet.      We   then 
descended  and  took  up  another  position  at  nearly  the 
Bume  height  us  the  last  bluff,  wlien  we  encamped  for 
tne  night      All  our  hopes  were  crushed  I     Between  us 
and  the    distant  bluff  the  open    sea  prevailed  on  the 
20th  of  May!     The  horizon  was  streaked  with  open 
sailing-ice    and  all  communication  cut  off  for  sledges, 
ine    biufl,  distant  sixteen  miles,  was  clearly  the  turn- 

boyrdtt '"''  '^'"''''  ^'''"""*  '  "'  '""'^  ""''  ^'«^^'« 
More  thP-^  once  their  hopes  were  raised,  during  the 
return-journey,  by  the  discovery  of  the  remains  of 
structures  that  had  evidently  been  made  by  human 
hands,  yet  not,  apparently,  by  those  of  Esquimaux. 
•  Onr  progress  was  tantalizing,  and  attended  with  deep 
interest  and  excitement.  In  the  first  place,  I  discov 
ered,  on  the  brow  of  a  mountain  about  eight  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea,  what  appeared  to  be  a  recent  and 
a  very  workmanlike  structure.  This  was  a  dc^me,  -  or 
rather  a  double  cone,  or  ice-house,  -built  of  very  heavy 


-,4. 


462 


BELCHER'S  EXPEDITION 


-  i 

■'1 ' 


and  tabular  slabs,  which  no  single  person  could  carry 
It  consisted  of  about  forty  courses,  eight  feet  in  diam 
eter,  and  eight  feet  in  depth,  when  cleared,  but  only 
five  in  height  from  the  base  of  the  upper  cone  as  wo 
opened  it, 

"  Most  carefully  was  every  stone  removed,  every 
atom  of  moss  or  earth  scrutinized  ;  the  stones  at  the 
bottom  also  taken  up  ;  but  without  finding  a  trace  of 
any  record,  or  of  the  structure  having  been  used  by 
any  human  being.  It  was  filled  by  drift  snow,  but  did 
not  in  any  respect  bear  the  appearance  of  having  been 
built  more  than  a  season.  This  was  named  '  Mount 
Discovery.' " 

A  short  time  afterwards  he  writes :  "  Leaving  our 
crew,  pretty  well  fatigued,  to  pitch  the  tent  and  pre- 
pare the  customary  pemmican  meal,  I  ascended  the 
mountain  above  us,  and  discovered  that  we  really  were 
not  far  from  our  old  position  of  last  year,  on  Cape 
Hogarth,  and  had  Cape  Majendie  and  Hamilton  Island 
to  the  west,  about  twenty  miles. 

"  My  surprise,  however,  was  checked  suddenly  by 
two  structures  rather  in  European  form,  and  apparently 
graves  ;  each  was  similarly  constructed,  and,  like  the 
dome,  of  large  selected  slabs,  having  at  each  end  three 
eeparato  stones,  laid  as  we  should  place  head  and  foot 
stones.  So  thoroughly  satisfied  was  I  that  there  was 
no  delusion,  I  desisted  from  disturbing  a  stone  until  it 
should  bo  formally  done  by  the  party  assembled. 

"The  evening  following  —  for  where  the  sun  is  so 
oppressive  to  the  eyes  by  day  we  travel  by  night  —  we 
ascended  the  hill,  and  removed  the  stones.  Not  a  trace 
cf  human  beings  !  " 

Thus  Belcher  and  his  men  travelled  about  during  the 
whole  season,  exploring  the  coasts  around  Wellington 
Channel,  now  on  foot,  and  then  in  boats,  a«  circum 


|j.._.ii^_. 


BELCHER'S  EXPEDITION. 


463 


staiicee  permitted,  but  without  discovering  any  clue  to 
the  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin.  Belcher  differs  from 
M'Clure  and  other  explorers  in  regard  to  the  abundance 
of  animal  life  in  Arctic  climes.  "  By  extraordinary  good 
fortune,"  he  says,  "bears  might  fall  in  the  way  of  the 
traveller ;  but,  having  killed  and  eaten  his  proportion 
I  much  doubt  if  his  strength  would  enable  him  to  drag 
the  remains  until  another  piece  of  similar  good  fortune 
befell  him.  The  assertion,  therefore,  of  any  'teeming 
or  abundance  of  animal  life '  in  this  north-eastern  dis- 
trict,  is  utterly  untenable." 

On  his  return  from  this  journey,  Belcher  first  learned 
of  the  safety  of  Captain  M'Clure  and  his  crew  in  the 
Bay  of  Mercy. 

The  ships  were  liberated  from  the  ice  on  the  14th  of 
July.     Belcher  did  not  persevere  in  his  attempts  to 
push  further  north,  notwithstanding  his   belief  in  an 
open   Polar  Sea,  but  shaped  his  course  for  Beechey 
Island.     Cape  Majendie  was  reached  at  an  early  day. 
Some  time  was  then  spent  in  surveying  the  Bays  of 
Baring  and  Prince  Edward,  when  the  further  advance 
of  the  ships  was  stopped  by  a  solid  floe  of  ice.     After 
much  warping  and   blasting  to  no  purpose,  in  which 
many  serious  risks  were  encountered,  the  vessels  were 
beset  for  a  second  winter  (1853^)  at  the  southern  horn 
of  Baring's  Bay. 

When  the  spring  came,  Sii  Edward's  whole  thoughts 
seem  to  have  been  turned  towards  getting  himself  and 
crews  safe  back  to  England.  Ee  determined,  at  all 
events,  that  they  should  not  remain  another  winter  in 
the  ice.  With  this  view,  he  sent  the  order  to  Captain 
Kellett,  which  we  have  related,  and  proceeded  to  manage 
his  own  vessels  in  a  similar  spirit. 

Ou  the  6th  of  August,  1854,  the  Assistance  and 
Pioneer  broke  out  of  their  winter  quarters,  and  advanced 


464 


INQLEFIELD'S   VOYAGE 


t¥: 


m 


slowly  down  the  channel.  The  ice  in  Barrow's  Strail 
broke  up  at  the  same  time,  and  by  the  22d  the  floe  of 
Wellington  Channel  was  open  for  fifteen  miles  north  of 
the  strait.  A  belt  of  ice,  only  twenty  miles  in  extent, 
and  that  much  cracked,  was  all  tha<^  remained  between 
the  ships  and  the  waters  com.nunicating  with  ^he 
Atlantic  ;  yet  it  was  determined  to  abandon  the  vessels, 
and,  on  the  26th  of  August,  1854,  both  the  Assistance 
and  Pioneer  were  deserted,  and  the  crews  made  their 
way  to  Beechey  Island. 

Kellett  and  M'Clure,  with  the  men  under  their  com- 
mand, were  there  awaiting  them.  The  searching  parties 
had  come  in  during  the  summer,  and,  on  the  l2th  of 
June,  Lieutenant  Mecham  had  brought  from  Princess 
Royal  Island  news  of  the  Enterprise,  the  first  that  had 
been  heard  from  her  since  1851.  He  had  found  records 
left  by  Collinson,  as  late  as  August,  1852,  in  which  the 
latter  announced  his  intention  to  follow  the  channel 
between  Wollaston  and  Prince  Albert's  Land.  Kellett 
was  in  favor  of  remaining  and  sending  parties  to  his 
relief ;  but  Belcher  was  bent  on  going  home.  All  the 
officers  and  men  of  the  Assistance,  Pioneer,  Resolute, 
Intrepid,  and  Investigator,  accordingly  got  on  board 
the  North  Star,  and  had  just  made  sail  when  the  Phoenix 
and  Talbot,  under  Inglefield,  hove  in  sight,  rounding 
Capo  Riley.  A  distribution  of  the  crews  was  made 
among  the  three  vessels.  On  the  6th  of  September  they 
reached  Disco,  and  on  the  28th  of  September,  1854, 
were  all  safely  landed  in  England. 

The  outward  voyage  of  I'lglefield  on  this  occasion 
seems  to  have  had  its  fall  share  of  dangers.  After 
safely  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  his  steamer,  the  Phcenix, 
accompanied  by  the  sailing  vessel  Talbot,  he  proceeded 
up  Baffin's  Bay,  speaking  some  whalers  by  the  way, 
aud  touching  at  Lievely  for  coal,  which  is  abundant  in 


Lii.;i' 


INOLEFIELD'S   VOVAOE 


465 


these   regions.     Ice   eoon   began   to   reta»d    them,  but 
they  were  enabled  to  break  through  it  much  more  easily 
(han  were   the   navigators  of  former  years,  in   conse- 
quencp  of  the  power  of  steam,  which  has  greatly  altered 
the  m-jde  of  progression   even  in  the  regions  of  the 
north,  not  only  by  enabling  the  vessels  to  wend  their 
way  among  loose  ice  in  calm  weather,  but  by  g.'  ing 
them  the  power  of  charging  the  opposing  masses  under 
full  eteam,  and  so  smashing  a  passage  in  places  where, 
(brracrly,  the   unwieldy  sailing-ship  would   have   been 
detained  for  weeks,  and  perhaps  set  last  for  the  winter. 
"For  ten   days,"  says   Inglefield,  "we   pushed   on 
through  heavy  ice,  blasting,  boring,  charging  the  nips, 
and   making  but   slow  advance,  the   bay-ice,  forming 
strong  every  night,  much  retarding  our  progress  ;  and, 
on  the   17th  of  August,  we  were  closely  beset  at  the 
rdge  of  a  large  floe  some  milej  in  extent.     Luckily,  a 
strong  gale  from  the  westward  broke  up  the  edges'of 
this  floe,  and,  on  the  weather  moderating,  slacked  the 
ice  sufficiently  to  admit  of  our  pushing  through,  and  on 
the  19th  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  get  into  the  west 
water." 

After  this  he  proceeded  to  Wollaston  Island,  where 
he  found  that  a  depot  of  provisions  had  been  discovered 
by  the  Esquimaux,  and  almost  entirely  broken  up. 
"Deeming  it  beneficial  for  the  service  upon  which  I 
was  employed,  and  acting  under  the  discretionary  orders 
with  which  their  lordships  have  been  pleased  to  supply 
me,  I  determined  upon  examining  the  d(:'pot  near  Wollas- 
ton Island,  deposited  by  the  North  Star,  in  1850.  For 
that  purpose  I  made  the  south  shore  of  Lancaster  Sound, 
and,  on  the  21st,  about  8.30  p.  m.,  we  passed  neat 
enough  to  Cape  Hay  to  observe  the  coals  deposited 
there,  in  1849,  by  Captain  Parker,  of  the  Truelove.  Ob- 
servinji-  that  the  stafi"  and  two  casks  containing  letter* 

30 


i 


%m 


466 


INGLEFIELD'S  VOYAGE. 


and  provisions  were  missing,  I  landed,  and  found  tliut 
no  trace  remained  of  tlieso  but  a  portion  of  tl»e  hea-l  of 
one  of  them,  and  some  broken  preserved  meat-tins. 
Tlio  coals,  too,  had  been  cither  carried  away  by  the 
Esquimaux  or  the  ice,  there  being  only  twenty-one  bags, 
A  little  after  ten  we  rounded  Cape  Castloroagli,  and 
Boon  found  the  remains  of  the  North  Star's  dep6t. 
Anchoring  in  five  fathoms,  we  lashed  the  Talbot  along- 
side, and  on  landing  I  found  that  this  spot  had  also 
been  visited  by  the  Esquimaux.  They  had  not  only 
plundered  it  of  all  that  was  useful  to  them,  but  hua 
showed  a  reckless  wantonness  in  the  destruction  of 
every  remaining  article. 

"  Of  the  six  hundred  and  eight  casks  and  cases  that 
were  landed  by  Mr,  Saunders,  only  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  remained  ;  and  each  had  been  stove  for  the 
examination  of  their  contents,  which  consisted  of  flour, 
peas,  Scotch  barley,  oat^meal,  and  tobacco.  Finding 
the  flour  only  partially  destroyed  in  each  cask,  I  deter- 
mined on  embarking  all  that  still  remained  ;  and  the 
whole  was  sliipped  off  to  the  Phoenix,  with  ten  tons  of 
patent  fuel,  which  latter  I  did  not  hesitate  to  embark, 
as  Sir  Edward  Belcher  had  sent  a  vessel  two  years  before 
to  examine  this  depot,  and  directed  her  commander  to 
take  the  whole  of  the  coal  from  the  neighboring  point." 

From  this  point,  the  Phoenix  and  Talbot  sailed  to 
Cape  Warren der,  at  which  place  they  were  very  nearly 
lost.  Captain  Inglefield  went  ashore  to  examine  a  cairn 
that  ho  had  erected  there  the  previous  year.  Returning 
on  board,  lie  found  a  strong  westerly  breeze  with  ebb- 
tide, which  prevented  much  headway  being  made ;  so 
they  returned  to  seek  anchorage  for  the  night  in  Dundas 
Harbor.  "  Unfortunately,"  says  Inglefield,  "  when  pick- 
ing up  a  berth,  we  struck  soundings  in  fifteen  fathoms, 
»nd,  immediately  after  three,  both  ships  grounded  on  a 


CAPTAIN  COLLINSON. 


467 


mud  bank,  and   the  tide  falling,  every  exertion  to  .et 
the  PhoBn.x  afloat  proved  uselcBs,  though  the  Talbot 
^as  warped  off  into  deep  water,  where,  both  her  bowe 
anchors  beu,g  let  go.  the  chain  of  the  email  one  was 
passed  mto  the  Phcnix's   quarter  hawse-hole,  anla 
heavy  ,tr       brought  upon  it.     At  three  the  following 
morn.ng  the  strong  breeze  broke  the  ice  away  from  ike 
head  of  the  bay.  and.  driving  out.  took  the  Phcenix  on 
her  starboard  broadside,  and  laid  her  over  on  her  beam 
ends,  forcing  her  still  further  on  shore,  and  tearing  off 
the  whole  of  the  false  kee!.     The  Talbot,  though  pushed 
again  on  the  bank,  escaped  any  damage  from  the  ice 
being  sheltered  by  this  vessel,  which  was  to  windward 
ot  her.      The  day  flood  proving  only  a  half-tide,  we 
remained  immovably  fixed  until  the  evening,  by  which 
time  all  the  boats  of  both  vessels  had  been  iaden  wS 
heavy  stores  to  lighten  this  vessel  =  and  I  am  happy  to 
say  that,  about  11  p.  h.,  both  ships  floated  off  into  deep 
water,  with  no  other  damage  than  I  have  stated  " 

on^hJTffiT  p 'P^'f  "^'^^  *he  searching  expeditions 
on   he  Baffin's  Bay  side  of  the  continent,  excepting  only 
that  of  Dr.  Kane,  to  which  we  shall  devote  a  se;arate 
chapter.  ,t  remains  for  us  to  complete  the  historv  of 
the  other  expeditions  that  proceeded  by  way  of  Bohring's 
Strait     To  connect  the  thread  of  onr  narrative,  we  must 
remind  the  reader  that  we  left  her  majesty's  ship  Enter- 
prise   Captain  Collinson,  consort  of  the  Investigator  in 
«ie  Pacific  Ocean.     She  reached  the  latitude  of  Icy 
Cape  September  22d,  1850  ;  when,  meeting  the  pack- 
ice,  she  went  south  for  a  warmer  climate,  so  as  to  be 
ready  to  resume  operations  in  the  season  of  1851.     AH 
that  Collinson  knew  of  the  position  of  M'Clure  was  a 
report  from  the  Plover  that  the  Investigator  had  been 
seen,  under  a  press  of  canvas,  steering  northward,  off 
Wamwright  Inlet.     Unfortunately,  one  of  the  rumors 


4G8 


LIEUTENANT  BAllNARU'S  MURDER. 


r.4. 


i 


connectad  with  this  report  induced  CoUiiison  to  allow 
an  enterprising^  young  oiriccr,  Lieutenant  Barnard,  tc 
bo  landed  in  the  Russian  nortli-west  American  settle- 
nientH,  in  order  tu  inquire  into  the  truth.  In  carrying 
out  this  Bcrvice,  Harnard  was  brutally  murdered,  in 
February,  1851,  by  Indians,  in  a  surprise  of  one  of  tho 
Russian  posts,  called  Darabin  redoubt,  not  fur  from 
Norton  Sound.  Tiie  sad  catastrophe  is  briefly  told  in 
the  handwriting  of  poor  Barnard,  in  the  annexed  not« 
to  Dr.  Adams : 

"  Ueah  Adams  ;  I  am  dreadfully  wounded  in  the  abdomen  ;  my 
entrails  are  lianging  out.  I  do  mt  suppose  I  siiall  live  long  enough  to 
see  you.  Tho  Cu-u-chuo  ludians  uiado  tho  attack  while  wo  wore  in  out 
bods.     Boskoy  ia  badly  wounded,  oiid  Daruhin  is  doad. 

"  I  tliink  my  wound  would  have  been  trilling  h\:\  I  had  medical  advice. 
I  am  in  groat  pain.  Nearly  all  tho  natives  of  tha  village  are  murdered 
Bet  out  for  this  place  in  all  haste.  JouN  Baunaiid." 

The  hand-writing  of  this  note  betrayed  tho  anguish 
which  the  gallant  writer  was  sufl'ering,  and  parts  of  it 
wore  nearly  illegible. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  1851,  Collinson,  in  the  Enter- 
prise, rounded  Point  Barrow,  steered  up  Prince  of 
Wales  Strait,  and  here,  on  Princess  Royal  Island,  dis- 
covered the  Investigator's  depflt,  and  a  cairn  containing 
information  up  to  June  15th,  1851.  Passing  on,  the 
Enterprise,  on  the  30th  of  August,  reached  tho  north 
end  of  the  strait,  but  only  to  be  foiled  in  any  attempt  to 
pass  beyond  it.  Collinson  now  decided  on  taking  a 
course  exactly  similar  to  that  of  his  more  fortunate  pre- 
decessor, M'CIure  ;  but,  on  the  3d  of  September,  little 
thinking  that  the  Investigator  had  preceded  him  in  hia 
intended  course,  he  found,  to  his  surprise,  on  Cape 
Kellett,  a  record  placed  there  on  August  18th.  The  ice 
was  now  too  close  for  him  to  push  on  ;  and,  no  harbor 
fit  for  winter  quarters  offering  itself  as  high  as  latitude 


RETURN   OF  THK  ENTKIUMllSE. 


469 


U   oi  nortli,  Collinson  boro  up,  and  eventually  wintered 

his  Bhip  on  ll.o  eastern  side  of  the  entrance  of  Prince  of 

\Valo8  Strait.     Thence  ho  pursued  his  explorations  in 

Iho  neighborhood  of  Banks'H  Land,  Albert  Land,  WoU 

laston  Land,  and  Victoria  Land,  concerning  the  geoera- 

phy  of  which  ho  obtained  much  valuable  information 

At   Cambridge    I3ay.  in   Wollaston    Land,   where   the 

l-nteiprirto  i)as8ed  the  winter  of  1852-3,  ho  saw  in  tho 

po88eH.sion  of  tho  Esquimaux  a  piece  of  iron  and  frag. 

meat  of  a  doorway,  or  hatch-frame,  which  it  is  thought 

must  have  belonged  to  tho  Erebus  or  Terror;  but  this 

trace  led  to  no  further  discoveries,  nor  was  anything 

ascertained  in  regard  to  the  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin 

The  Enterprise  was  absent  longer  than  any  of  tho 
other   searching  expeditions,  and  was   equally  distin- 
gmshed  by  the  ability,  heroism,  and  endurance,  displayed 
by  her  officers  and  crew;  but,  as  their  adventures  are 
similar  tc  those  already  related,  we  do  not  think  it 
necessary  to  give  them  in  more  detail.     Long  after  tho 
people  of  England  wore  assured  of  the  safety  of  M'Cluro 
they  continued  to  feel   anxiety  regarding  the  fato  of 
Collinson.      But   the   latter  had   the   good  fortune  to 
retrace  his  steps  by  the  way  he  came,  and  brought  his 
ship  and  crew  safely  back  to  England.      In  the  mean 
time,  tho  Plover,  the  other  vessel  of  the  Pacific  squadron 
had  also  reached  home  in  safety.     Mr.  Kennedy,  ia  the 
Isabel,  who  sailed  in  1853  to  carry  assistance  to  Collin- 
son, was  shipwrecked  on  the  coast  of  South  America, 
where  his  crew  having  mutinied  and  deserted,  his  voyage 
was  abandoned. 

Shortly  after  tho  return  of  Belcher  and  M'Cluro,  with 
tho  crews  of  their  deserted  ships,  another  note  of  inform- 
ation was  sounded  from  the  Arctic  regions,  but  ita 
tone  was  very  sad.  The  Montreal  Herald  of  October 
21st.  1851,  published  a  letter  from  Dr.  Rae  to  the  gov 


*-':mm 


470 


DR.  RAE'B  DISCOVERY. 


.'(! 
■* 


ernor  of  tho  IIudBoii'B  Bay  Company,  giving  an  account 
of  tho  oxploration  from  which  ho  had  jiint  returned 
From  this  letter,  whicii  was  dated  Yorlt  Factory,  4th 
August,  1851,  it  appeared  that  Kao  readied  liis  old 
quarters,  at  Repulse  Bay,  on  tho  16th  of  August,  18f/3, 
and  there  passed  the  ensuing  winter.  On  the  .^  1st  of 
March,  1851,  his  spring  journey  commenced.  On  the 
17th  ho  reached  Pelly  Bay,  where  he  met  Ksquimuux, 
from  whom  ho  obtained  several  articles  which  wore 
identified  as  belonging  to  various  members  of  Sir  John 
Fratiklin's  party. 

Tho  possession  of  these  articles  by  tho  Esquimaux 
was  accounted  for  by  a  story  which  is  related  in  tho 
following  extract  from  Dr.  Rae's  journal,  published  soon 
after  his  arrival  in  England  :  "  On  the  morning  of  the 
20th  wo  were  met  by  a  very  intelligent  Esquimaux, 
driving  a  dog-sledge  laden  with  musk-ox  beef.  This 
man  at  once  consented  to  accompany  us  two  days' 
journey,  and  in  a  few  minutes  had  deposited  his  load 
on  tho  snow,  and  was  ready  to  join  us.  Having  ex- 
plained to  him  my  object,  he  said  that  the  road  by 
which  he  had  come  was  the  best  for  us  ;  and,  having 
lightened  the  men's  sledges,  we  travelled  with  more 
facility.  We  were  now  joined  by  another  of  the  natives, 
who  had  been  absent  seal-hunting  yesterday,  but,  being 
anxious  to  see  us,  had  visited  our  snow-house  early  this 
morning,  and  then  followed  up  our  track.  This  man 
was  very  communicative,  and,  on  putting  to  him  the 
usual  questions  as  to  his  havint^  seen  'white  man  '  be- 
fore, or  ii'iy  ships  or  boats,  he  replied  in  the  ne/ritive  ; 
but  said  that  a  party  of  '  ^  'b' i( -n,  3'  had  died  of 
starvation  a  long  distance  to  the  west  of  where  we  then 
were,  and  beyond  a  large  river.  lie  stated  that  he  did 
not  know  the  exact  place,  that  he  never  had  been  there, 
and  that  he  could  not  accompany  us  so  fa»-.     The  sub- 


KAE'S  DISCOVKRV 


471 


•lanc.3  of  the  information  then  and  Hubscquontly  obtained 
from  various  sourcea  was  to  the  following  eil'ect : 

"  In  the  Hpri.iff,  four  winters  past  (1850),  while  aomo 
Munnaux  families  wore  killing  seals  near  the  north 
Bhoroofalargo  island,  named  in  Arrowsmith's   charts 
King  William's  Land,  about  forty  white  men  were  seen 
travelling  in  company  southward  over  the  ice,  and  drag- 
gnig  a  boat  and  sledges  with  them.     They  were  passing 
along  the  west  shore  of  the  above-named  island.     None 
of  the  party  could  speak  the  Esquimaux  language  so 
well  as  to  bo  understood,  but  by  signs  the  natives  wore 
led  to  believe  that  the  ship  or  ships  had  boon  crushed 
by  ice,  and  that  they  were  now  going  to  where  they  ex- 
pccted  to  fi.id  deer  to  shoot.     From  the  appearance  of 
the  men  — all  of  whom,  with  the  exception  of  an  ofllcer 
were  hauling  on  the  drag-ropes  of  the  sledge,  and  looked 
thin  — they  wore  then  supposed  to  bo  getting  short  of 
prov.H.ons  ;  and  they  purchased  a  small  seal,  or  piece  of 
seal,  from  the  natives.     The  officer  was   described  as 
being  a  tall,  stout,  middle-aged  man.    When  their  day  V 
journey  terminated,  they  pitched  tents  to  rest  in. 

"  At  a  later  date  the  same  season,  but  previous  to  the 
disruption  of  the  ice,  the  corpses  of  some  thirty  persons 
and  some  graves  were  discovered  on  the  continent,  and 
five  dead  bodies  on  an  island  near  it,  about  a  long  day's 
lourney  to  the  north-west  of  the  mouth  of  a  large  stream, 
which  can  be  no  other  than  iiack's  Great  Fkh  River 
(named  by  tiie  Esquimaux  Oot-koo-hi-ca-lik),  as  its  do- 
scription  and  that  of  the  low  shore  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Point  Ogle  and  Montreal  Island  agree  exactly  with 
that  of  Sir  George  Back.     Some  of  the  bodies  were  in 
a  tent,  or  tents  ;  others  were  under  the  boat,  which  had 
been  turned  over  to  form  a  shelter ;  and  some  lay  scat- 
tered about  in  difTerent  directions.     Of  those  seen  o-i 
the  island,  it  was  supposed  that  one  was  that  of  an  Meet 


.  .,•-•     .'■  , 


472 


RLLI 


'KL.N. 


'i 


(chief),  as  he  had  a  teieocope    .t.^,  ped  OAor  nis  shout 
ders,  and  a  double-barrelled  ojun  hi;/  underneath  liim. 

"  From  the  mutilated  state  of  many  of  the  bodies, 
and  tl-'j  cont  -nts  of  the  kettles,  it  is  evident  that  our 
wretched  countrymen  had  been  driven  to  the  dread 
altprnative  of  cannibalism  as  a  means  of  sustaining  lif^j. 
A  few  of  the  unfo ruinate  men  must  htive  survived  u'  til 
the  arrival  of  the  wild-fowl  (say  until  the  end  of  May), 
as  shots  were  heard,  and  fresh  bones  and  feathers  of 
geese  were  noticed  near  the  scene  of  the  sad  event. 

"  There  appears  to  have  been  an  abundant  store  of 
ammunition,  as  the  gunpowder  was  emptied  by  the 
natives  in  a  heap  on  the  ground  out  of  the  kegs  or  cases 
containing  it,  and  a  quantity  of  shot  and  ball  was  found 
below  high-water  mark,  having  probably  been  left  on 
the  ice  close  to  the  beach  before  the  spring  ccjmmcnccd. 
There  must  have  been  a  number  of  telescopes,  guns 
(several  of  thtm  double-barrelled),  watches,  compasses, 
&c.,  all  of  which  seem  to  have  been  broken  up,  as  I 
saw  pieces  of  these  diil'erent  articles  with  the  natives, 
and  I  purchased  as  many  as  possible,  together  with 
some  silver  spoons  and  forks,  an  Order  of  Merit  in  the 
form  of  a  star,  and  a  small  silver  plate  engraved  '  Sir 
John  Franklin,  K.C.B.'" 

I)r.  Rae  concludes  by  expressing  the  opinion  that  no 
violence  had  been  ollered  to  the  suiferors  by  the  natives, 
but  that  they  wore  starved  to  death.  The  f(i1h)wing  is 
1  list  of  the  articloR  obtained  from  tiie  Es(iuinianx  : 
One  silver  table-f(3rk — crest,  an  animal's  licad  with 
wings  extended  above  ;  three  silver  table-forks  —  crest, 
a  bird  with  wings  extended  ;  one  silver  table-spoon  — 
crest,  with  initials  "  F.  R.  ]s\.  G."  (Captain  Crozier,  Ter- 
ror) :  one  silver  table-spoon  and  one  fork  —  crest,  bird 
with  laurel-branch  in  mouth,  motto,  "  Spero  vivliora ;" 
one  silver   talile-spoon,  .  no  tea-spoon,  and  one  dessert- 


RAE'S  LETTER  TO  THE  TIMES.  473 

fork -crest,  a  fish's  head  looking  upwards,  with  laurel- 
branches  oil  each  side;  one  silver  tahle-furk —  initials, 
"  n  D  S.  G."  (Harry  D.  S.  Goodsir,  assistant-surgeon! 
i^rebus);  one  silver  table-fork  —  initials,  "A  M'D  " 
(Alexander  M'Donald,  assistant-surgeon,  Terror);  one 
silver  table-fork  —  initials,  "  G.  A.  M."  (Gillies  A  Mac- 
bean,  second  master,  Terror)  ;  one  silver  table-fork — 
.niti^ds,  "^  J.  T.  ;  "  one  silver  dessert-spoon  -  initials, 
"  J.S.P."  (John  S.  Pcddie,  surgeon,  Erebue)  ;  around 
sdver  plate,  engraved,   "  Sir  John  Franklin,  K  C  B  •"  a 

star  or  order,  with  motto,  "iVe6"a&:?jeraferren<,G  R  III 
MDCCCXV." 

On  obtainipg  the  above  information.  Dr.  Rae  instantly 
hastened  to  England,  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  any 
further  expeditions  being  despatched  in  search  of  the 
lost  navigators.     Ilis  report,  as  might  have  beeu  ex- 
pected, was  subjected  on  all  hands  to  criticism  and  com- 
inent.     Lfany  were  of  opinion  that  the  information  ob- 
tained did  not  warrant  the  conclusion  that  the  whole 
party  was  lost.     Some  of  the  criticisms  made  on  his 
report  induced  Er.  Rae  to  take  up  the  pen  in  self-defence  • 
and  m  a  letter  which  he  addressed  to  the  editor  of  the 
Lo7idon   lYmes  we   find  the  following  remarks,  which 
come  u-ith  great  weight  from  one  who,  of  all  others,  is 
most  competent  to  speak  authoritatively.     They  were 
written  in  reply  to  an  attack  made  upon  hini  by  a  gen- 
tlenr.an  who  had  a  relative  with  the  lost  expedition,  and 
serve  to  show  how  difficult  it  is  to  form  a  correct  judg- 
nient  on  subjects  of  which  we  have  not  had  personal 
•-•xporience. 

"  It  is  asked  by  your  correspondent,"  says  Dr.  Rae, 
where  Esquimaux  can  live,  where  Dr.  Rae's  party 
could  li/ul  abundant  means,  what  should  prevent  Sii 
John  Franklin  and  his  party  from  subsisting  too  ? ' 

"  No  man   but  one  perfectly  unacquainted  with  the 


474 


RAE'S  LETTER  TO   THE  TIMES. 


■ 


subject  could  ask  such  a  question.  At  the  seasou  when 
Sir  John  Franklin's  party  was  seen  travelling  over  the 
ice,  the  seal-holes  are  covered  by  snow,  and  can  only  bo 
discovered  by  the  acute  sense  of  smell  of  the  native 
dogs ;  and,  after  the  seal-hole  is  discovered,  much  pa- 
tience, experience,  and  care,  are  requisite  to  kill  the  seal. 
As  soon  as  the  snow  thaws  (say  in  June)  the  seals 
show  themselves  on  the  ice ;  but  they  are  then  so  dif- 
ficult of  approach  that  not  one  of  my  men  (Ouligbuck, 
the  interpreter,  excepted),  although  they  often  made 
the  attempt,  could  approach  near  enough  to  shoot  any 
of  these  animals. 

"  I  wintered  at  a  part  of  the  Arctic  coast  remarkable 
by  its  geographical  formation  for  the  abundance  of  deer 
during  the  autumn  migrations,  but  only  then  ;  and  it 
was  at  that  time  that  we  laid  up  oui  winter  stock  of 
food ;  but  it  was  hard  work  even  for  us  (all  practised 
sportsmen, picked  men,  and  in  full  strength  and  train- 
ing) to  collect  a  suflBciency. 

"  That  portion  of  coimtry  near  to  and  on  which  <» 
portion  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  party  was  seen  is,  in  the 
spring,  notoriously  the  most  barren  of  animal  life  of  any 
of  the  Arctic  shores ;  and  the  hw  deer  that  may  be  seen 
are  generally  very  shy,  from  having  been  hunted  during 
the  winter  by  Indiana,  on  the  borders  of  the  woodlands. 
To  prove  this  scarcity  of  game,  I  may  add,  that  during 
my  spring  journey  of  fifty-six  days'  duration,  one  deer 
only  and  a  few  partridges  were  shot  by  us. 

"  It  is  asked  by  your  correspondent,  '  Why  the  un- 
fortunate men  should  have  encumbered  themselves  with 
silver  forks  and  spoons  and  silver  plates  ? '  &c.  The 
total  weight  of  tlie  silver  forks  and  spoons  could  not  be 
more  than  four  or  five  pounds  at  the  utmost,  and  would 
not  appear  much  when  divided  among  forty  persons  ; 
»nd  any  officer  who  has  ever  had  the  misfortune  to 


RAE'S   LETTER  TO  THE  TIMES. 


475 


abandon  his  sliip  or  boat  anywhere,  but  more  particu- 
larly  in  the  Arctic  sea,  knows  how  apt  men  are  to  en- 
cumber themselves  witli  articles  far  more  useless  and 
bulky  than  a  few  forks  and  spoons.  I  suppose,  by  '  sil- 
ver plates,'  your  correspondent  alludes  to  the  silver 
plate  with  Sir  John  Franklin's  name  engraved  thereon, 
and  which  may  possibly  weigh  half  an  ounce,  —  no  great 
addition  to  a  man's  load. 

"  Again,  your  correspondent  says,   '  that  the  ships 
liave  been  abandoned,  and  pillaged  by  the  Esquimaux.' 
In  this  opinion  I  perfectly  agree  so  far  as  regards  the 
abandonment  of  the  ships,  but  not  that  these  ship   were 
pillaged  by  the  natives.     Had  this  been  the  case,  wood 
would  have  been  abundant  among  these  poor  people. 
It  was  not  so,  and  they  were  reduced  to  the  necessity 
of  making  their  sledges   of  musk-ox  skins   folded  up 
and  frozen  together,  — an  alternative  to  which  the  want 
of   >vood   alone   could   have   reduced   them.      Another 
proof  that  the  natives  had  very  little  wood  among  them 
may  be  adduced.     Before  leaving  Repulse  Bay,  I  col- 
lected together  some  of  the  most  respectable  of  the 
old  Esquimaux,  and   distributed   among  them  all  the 
wood  we  could  spare,  amounting  to  two  or  three  oars 
and  some  broken  poles.     When  these  things  were  de- 
livered to  them,  I  bade  the  Esquimaux  interpreter,  who 
ppeaks  both  his  own  and  the  English  langnage  fluently, 
.0  ask  whether  they  or  their  acquaintances  near  Peliy 
Bay  had  now  most  wood.    They  all  immediately  shouted 
-J'lt   holding  up  their  hands,  that  they  themselves  had 
.Tiost.     I  need  scarcely  add  that,  iiad  the  ships  been 
found  by  the  Esquimaux,  a  stock  of  wood  sufficient  for 
many  years  for  all    the   natives  within   an  extent  of 
Hcveral  hundred  miles  would  have  been  obtained." 

From  all  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  evidence  of  Dr. 
Rac  went  to  show  that  the  fate  of  thirty-five  men  of  the 


176 


ANDERSON'S  JOURNEY 


expedition  had  been  but  too  surely  ascertained  ;  but 
there  wore  yet  one  hundred  and  three  to  be  accounted 
for.  No  one,  familiar  with  tlie  history  of  Arctic  din- 
covery,  could  entertain  much  hope  of  ever  seeing  the 
gallant  crews  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror  alive ;  but  then; 
was  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  trail  had  been  iit 
last  struck,  and  that  in  a  short  time  we  should  have  the 
melancholy  satisfaction  of  at  least  knowing  how,  when, 
and  where,  they  perished.  For  the  purpose  of  ascer- 
taining this,  of  obtaining  the  papers  of  the  lost  ships, 
and  of  burying  the  remains  of  their  crews,  if  they  should 
be  found,  the  British  government  resolved  to  send  out 
a  land  expedition  to  follow  up  the  search  of  Dr.  Rae. 

A  party  was  accordingly  organized  in  tne  summer  ol" 
1855,  and  placed  under  the  command  of  Mr.  James 
Anderson,  chief  factor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  ; 
Dr.  Rae,  to  whom  the  command  was  first  offered,  hav- 
ing declined  it,  on  account  of  ill-health.  Anderson's 
expedition  started  from  Fort  Resolution  on  the  22d  of 
June,  1855,  and  commenced  the  descent  of  the  Great 
Fish  River  in  three  canoes.  They  were  unaccompanied 
by  any  interpreter.  On  the  30th  of  July,  at  the  rapids 
below  Lake  Franklin,  three  Esquimaux  lodges  were 
seen,  and  numerous  articles,  belonging  to  a  boat-equi- 
page, were  there  found  —  such  as  tent-poles,  paddles, 
copper  and  sheet-iron  boilers,  tin  soup-tureens,  chis- 
els, and  tools  of  various  kinds.  The  occupants  of  the 
lodges,  all  but  one  of  whom  were  women,  said  (by 
words  and  signs)  that  these  things  were  obtained  from 
a  boat,  and  that  the  white  men  belonging  to  it  had 
died  of  starvation. 

Pushing  on  again,  the  party  reached  Point  Beaufort, 
and  at  last  Montreal  Island.  There  they  found  somo 
chain-hooks,  tools,  rope,  bunting,  and  a  number  of 
sticks  strung  together    on  one  ( f  which  was  cut  tlu* 


ANDERSON'S  JOURNEy. 


477 


namo  of  "  Mr.  Stanley  "  (surgr..,.  of  the  Erclnis) ;  also 
chips,  shavi„gs,  ends  of  plunk,  etc.,  apparently  sawed 
by  anskiUul  hands.  On  one  the  word  "Terror"  was 
carved.  It  was  evident  to  Mr.  Anderson  that  this  was 
the  spot  where  the  boat  was  eut  up  by  the  Esquimaux  ; 
but  not  a  vestige  of  human  remains  could  be  discov- 
ered,  or  a  scrap  of  paper.  Point  Ogle  was  next  exam- 
ined,  and  small  articles  of  a  similar  character  were  also 
lound  there  ;  but  with  no  other  result. 

On  the  8th  of  August,  1855,  the  party  began  to  re- 
trace their  steps,  having  seen  no  Esquimaux,  except  the 
few  at  the  rapids  before  mentioned,  and  having  been 
unabhi  to  roach  King  William's  Land. 

This  information  was  received  in  England  early  iii 
185(J,  and  was  confirmatory  of  Rao's  supposition  that  the 
Grout  Fish  was  the  river  on  which  the  party  he  hoard 
of  had  retreated  ;  but,  so  far  as  the  particulars  of  their 
fate  were  concerned,  it  left  the  wliole  matter  as  w.nvh 
involved  in  mystery  as  ever. 


¥ 


i.  I- 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

JBCOND   aaiNNKLI-    KXI'EDITION. DU.    KANE'S    PLAM.  —  DKPAJITUBK.  W 

THB    ICE.  —  SEABCH    FOB  A    HABBOB.  —  FROZEN    IS.  —  TEMl'ERATURK.   ■- 

•  !«(  IBENTS.  —    LOSS     01'     DOfiS.  —    DlBASTnOCS     SLEDOINQ-l-AUTy.  TBI 

RESCUE. —  MRETINQ  WITH  E.SQUISIAUX.  —  DiaCOVERIES.  —  ATTEMPT  TO 
REACn  BEI.CnER'S  SQUADRON.  —  ANOTHER  WINTER.  —  PRIVATION  AND 
«RIL.  —  AllANDONMRNT  OF'  THE  VESSEL.  FAREWELL  TO  THE  ESQUI- 
MAUX.  —  IN    SAFETY.      -    BEPOBT  TO    NAVY     DEPARTMENT.    THE    OPEN 

POLAR  SEA. —  CHABACTBR  OF  DR.  KANE'S  ADVENTURES. — HIS  PUliLISHED 
NABUATIVE. 

TnK  expedition  under  the  command  of  Dr.  Kano 
BiiikKl  from  New  York  on  the  30th  of  May,  1853.  It 
consisted  of  eighteen  chosen  men,  besides  the  com- 
mander, embarked  in  a  small  brig  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-xbur  tons  burden,  named  the  Advance,  which  was 
furnished  by  Mr.  Grinnell,  other  expenses  being  con- 
tributed by  Mr.  Peabody  and  several  generous  indi- 
viduals and  societies.  Dr.  Kane's  predetermined  course 
was  to  enter  the  strait  discovered  the  previous  year 
by  Captain  Inglefield,  at  the  top  of  Baffin's  Bay,  and 
to  push  as  far  northward  through  it  as  practicable,  lie 
engaged  the  services  of  a  native  Esquimaux,  of  the 
name  of  Hans  Christenscn,  at  Fiskernaes,  in  Greenland, 
and  then  crossed  Melville  Bay  in  the  wake  of  the  vast 
icebergs  with  which  the  sea  is  there  strewn.  These 
huge  frozen  masses  are  often  driven  one  way  by  a  deep 
current,  while  the  floes  are  drifted  in  another  by  winds 
and  surface-streams,  disruptions  being  thus  necessarily 
caused  in  the  vast  ice-fields.     The  doctor's  tactics  were 


n 


EusHA  Kent  Kane,  M.D. 


'V:..^kl 


I»#. 


J    *  1  r 


! 

^^B 

i 
,1 

'.1.  If 


DR.   KANE'S  EXPEDITION, 


481 


to  dodge  about  in  the  roar  of  these  floating  ice-ninuii. 
tains,  holding  upon  them  whenever  adverse  winds  wert 
troublesome,  and  pressing  forward  whenever  an  oppor- 
tunity occurred. 

Dr.  Kane's  plan  was  based  upon  the  probable  exteu- 
Hion  of  the  land-masses  of  Greenland  to  the  far  north  — 
a  fact  at  that  time  not  verified  by  travel,  but  sustained 
by  tiie  analogies  of  physical  geography.  Grc(>nland, 
though  looked  upon  as  a  congeries  of  islands  connected 
t)y  interior  glaciers,  was  still  regarded  as  a  peninsula, 
whose  formation  recognized  the  same  lawa  ^s  other 
peninsulas  having  a  southern  trend. 

Believing  in  the  extension  of  this  peninsula  nearer  to 
the  pole  than  any  other  known  land,  and  feeling  that 
the  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin  would  be  best  promoted 
by  a  course  that  might  lead  most  directly  to  the  sup- 
posed  northerly  open  sea.  Dr.  Kane  advanced,  as  in- 
ducements in  favor  of  his  scheme  :  Terra  Firma  as  the 
basis  of  his  operations  ;  a  due  northern  line  which  would 
lead  soonest  to  the  open  sea ;  the  benefit  of  northern 
land  to  check  the  southern  drift  of  ice  ;  the  presumed 
existence  of  animal  life  ;  and  the  cooperation  of  Esqui- 
maux, whose  settlements  were  supposed  to  extend  far  up 
the  coast. 

The  good  ship  Advance  entered  the  harbor  of  Fisker- 
naes,  on  the  Ist  of  July,  "  amid  the  clamor  of  its  entire 
population  assembled  on  the  rocks  to  greet  us."  On  the 
16th  of  July  she  passed  the  promontory  of  Swartehuk, 
or  Blackhead  ;  and,  on  the  27th,  Wilcox  Point ;  icebergs 
showing  themselves  on  all  sides,  and  rendering  the  nav- 
igation of  Melville  Bay  full  of  danger.  On  the  2d  of 
August  they  were  fairly  in  the  ice,  and  beset  by  fogs. 
It  was  only  at  times  that  the  floes  opened  sufficiently 
to  allow  the  ship  to  make  her  way  through  them.  At 
midnight  of  the  3d.  however,  they  got  clear  of  the  bay 
81 


482 


DR.   KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


and  of  its  diffiouUics,  Dr.  Kuiio  taking  credit  t(  hiniseli 
for  liiiviiijj^  cnbctod  lliis  by  iin  outHJdc  pasHiigo. 

The  North  Wiiter,  tho  highway  to  Sniitli'.s  Sound, 
was  now  fairly  before;  thcni.  On  the  .Oth  tliey  passed 
Sir  John  Ross's  "  Crimson  ChfTs,"  and  tho  patehes  of 
red  snow  could  be  seen  clearly  at  tho  distance  of  ten 
miles  from  tho  coast;  and  on  the  7th  they  doubled  Capo 
Alexander  —  the  Arctic  pillars  of  Hercules  —  and 
passed  into  Smitli's  Sound.  Arriving  at  Littleton 
'  Island,  they  deposited  there  a  boat  with  a  supply  of 
stores,  liot  far  from  tho  vestiges  of  an  old  Esquimaux 
settlement. 

On  tho  8th  they  again  closed  with  the  ice,  and  wore 
forced  into  a  landlocked  cove.  Tho  dogs,  of  which 
they  lind  more  than  fifty  on  board,  began  to  bo  very 
tr  jublesome  ;  they  would  devour  almost  everything  that 
came  in  their  way,  from  an  Esquimaux  cranium  to  a 
whole  feather-bed  !  The  men  tried  to  shoot  some  wal> 
ruses,  but  the  rifle-balls  rebounded  from  their  hides  like 
pebbles  ;  and  it  was  only  by  accident  that  they  found 
tho  carcass  of  a  narwhal,  with  which  to  appease  the 
poor  dogs  for  a  time. 

All  attempts  to  work  tho  vessel  seaward  through  the 
floes  proving  unsuccessful,  it  was  resolved  to  try  for  a  fur- 
ther northing  by  following  tho  coast-lino.  But,  although 
even  warping  was  had  recourse  to,  this  also  was  followed 
by  but  very  trifling  success.  On  midnight  of  the  14th 
they  reached  the  lee  side  of  a  rocky  island,  which,  from 
the  shelter  it  aflbrded,  was  designated  "  Godsend  Ledge." 
It  was,  however,  destined  to  bo  so  but  a  short  time. 
On  tho  20th  it  came  on  to  blow  a  hurricane  ;  the  haw- 
sers parted  one  after  the  other,  and  the  ship  was  left  at 
the  mercy  of  the  winds,  waves,  and  ice,  combined.  It 
was  a  most  trying  timd,  and  the  party  underwent  many 
perils  ere  they  found  temporary  shelter  beyond  a  lofty 


DR.    RANK'S   KXl'KDITION. 


483 


capo,  and  under  an  iceherg  that  anchorod  itseH  between 
them  and  the  gale. 

The  point  to  which  they  wore  tliuH  unccromoniously 
driven  was  ten  miles  nearer  the  polo  than  Godsond 
Lodge  ;  and  on  the  22d,  the  storm  havinfr-  ahatod,  the 
men  wore  harncsHod  to  the  tow-lines,  and  they  hogan  to 
track  along  the  ico-belt  off  the  coast,  warping  also  at 


TBACKINO  ALONO  THE  ICK-llKl.T. 

times,  but  with  so  littlo  effect  that,  on  the  29th,  Dr 
Kane  rushed  on  ahead  with  a  small  boating-party  for  a 
personal  inspection  of  the  coast.  After  twenty-four 
hours'  toil,  the  boat  had  to  be  exchanged  for  a  sledo-e 
with  which  they  also  got  on  but  slowlv,  passing  Glacier 
Bay,  Mary  Minturn  River,  —  the  largest  known  in 
North  Groetdand,  being  about  throe  fourths  of  a  mile 
wide  at  its  mouth -Capes  Thackeray  and  Francis 
Hawkes,  to  Cape  George  Russell,  from  whence  could  be 
seen  the  great  glacier  of  Humboldt,  Cape  Jackton  on 
the  one  side,  and  Cape  Barrow  on  the  other,  and  be- 
tween them  a  solid  sea  of  ice. 

The  galla.it  captain  returned  satisfied  that  he  had 
seen  no  place  combining  so  many  of  the  requisites  of  a 
good  wn.ter  harbor  as  the  bay  in  which  he  had  loft  the 
Advance.  So  he  gave  the  orders  to  warp  in  between 
two  islands      They  found  seven  fathom  soundings  and 


484 


DR.    KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


«  perfect  Hlioltor  from  the  outside  ice ;  and  thus  tlio  liv 
tie  brig  was  laid  up  in  Van  ReiiHseluer  Harbor,  near  a 
group  of  rocky  islotH,  in  the  Bouth-fastciii  curve  of  a 
liuy,  where  hIic  wiin  I'rozen  in  on  September  lOlh. 

All  obHorvatory  was  erected  odjacent  to  the  ship,  and 
a  thermal  register  was  kept  hourly.  Tlie  moan  annual 
temperature  at  this  spc.t  appears  to  bo  two  degrees 
lower  than  that  of  Melville  Island,  according  to  I'urry. 
The  lowest  lemperaturo  was  observed  in  February,  when 
the  mean  of  eight  instruments  gave  seventy  degrees 
Fahrenheit.  ChIoroA)rm  froze,  essential  oils  become 
partly  solid  and  liquid,  and,  on  February  21th,  chloric 
ether  was  congealed  for  the  first  time  by  natural  tern- 
peri*uro.  For  astronomical  observations,  a  transit  and 
'heodolite  were  mounted  on  stone  pedestals,  cemented 
by  ice.  The  longitude  was  based  on  moon  culminations, 
corroborated  by  occultations  of  planets,  and  the  solar 
eclipse  of  May,  1855.  The  position  of  the  observatory 
was  found  to  be  in  lat.  TS"  37',  and  long.  70°  40'  6". 
Magnetic  observations,  both  absolute  and  relative,  were 
also  kept  up. 

An  excursion  was  made  ninety  miles  into  the  interior, 
when  its  further  progress  was  arrested  by  a  glacier  four 
hundred  feet  high,  and  extending  north  and  west  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach.  As  to  the  sledging  outfit,  they 
kept  on  reducing  it,  until  at  last  they  came  to  the  Esqui- 
maux ultimatum  of  simplicity  —  raw  meat  and  a  fur 
bag.  For  the  time  being,  a  man  thus  becomes  a  mere 
animal,  only  with  another  animal's  skin  for  a  cover. 

Parties  were  organized  for  establishing  provision 
d(^p6t8  to  iacilitate  researches  in  the  spring,  and  more 
than  eight  hundred  miles  were  traversed.  The  Green- 
land coast  was  traced  for  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
miles  to  the  north  and  east,  and  the  largest  of  the  three 
depots  along  the  coast  was  formed  on  an  island  in  lat 


im 


*i 


Ll.i 


1  >r> 


''  i 


DR.   KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


485 


70"  12'  6",  and  long.  65»  25'.  Darkness  arrested  these 
proceedings  on  November  20th,  and  the  sun  continued 
one  hundred  and  twenty  days  below  the  horizon. 

One  of  the  first  incidents  that  occurred  was  setting 
the  ship  on  fire  in  an  attempt  to  exterminate  the  rats 
with  carbonic-acid  gas.     It  ended  in  nearly  asphyxiating 
the  commander  and  two  or  three  others.     The  next  inci- 
dent  was  one  of  the  dogs  going  rabid  —  a  phenomenon 
usually  supposed  to  be  associated  with  the  heats  of 
Bummer.     Great  inconvenience  was  experienced  in  the 
sledge-excursions,  and  in  making  "  caches  "  of  provi- 
sions  in  this  region,  from  the  frequent  ice-cracks,  or  cre- 
vasses, as  the  Swiss  would  call  them,  and  into  which 
dogs,  sledges,  and  travellers,  were  sometimes  tumbled,  at 
the  imminent  risk  of  being  carried  below  the  ice  by  the 
current  — not  to  mention  the  danger  to  health  of  an  in?- 
mersion  with  the  thermometer  many  degrees  below  zero. 
The  point  at  which  the  party  were  wintering,  it  is  to 
be  observed,  was  in  a  higher  latitude  than  the  winteWng- 
stations  in  the  Arctic  archipelago  ;  and,  except  on  Spitz- 
bergen,  no  Christians  are  known  to  have  passed  a  win- 
ter so  near  to  the  pole.     The  darkness  was  so  intense 
that  it  necessarily  entailed  inaction  ;  and  it  was  in  vain 
that  they  sought  to  create  topics  of  thought,  and,  by  a 
forced  excitement,  to  ward  off  the  encroachments  of  dis- 
ease.   The  thermometer  fell  to  ninety-nine  degrees  below 
freezing  roint.     Human  beings  could  only  breathe  in 
8uch  a  temperature  guardedly,  and  with  compressed  lips. 
The  influence  of  such  severe  cold  and  long  intense 
darkness  was  most  depressing.     Most  of  the  dogs  died 
of  affections  of  the  brain,  which  began,  as  in  the  in- 
Htance  of  some  of  the  men  of  the  Investigator,  with  fits, 
followed  by  lunacy,  and  sometimes  by  lock-jaw.     Their 
disease.  Dr.  Kane  remarks,  was  as  clearly  mental  as  in 
the  case  of  any  human  being.     Fifty-seven  died  with 


486 


DR.   KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


fcai 


these  symptoms.  The  loss  of  his  dogs  sorionsly  affected 
Dr.  Kane's  plans  :  new  arrangements  liad  to  be  formed, 
which,  owing  to  the  smallness  of  the  party,  deprived 


UOG-SLEDGE. 


of  the  dogs,  were  necessarily  restricted.  The  addition 
of  four  (logs,  contributed  by  Esquimau.x,  permitted 
the  operations  to  bo  considerably  extended.  Out  of 
nearly  three  thousand  miles  traversed,  no  less  than 
eleven  hundred  were  made  with  tlie  dog-s!edge  ;  and 
during  the  following  year  Dr,  Kane  himself  travelled 
fourteen  hundred  miles  with  a  single  team. 

The  month  of  March  brought  back  perpetual  day.  The 
sunshine  had  reached  the  ship  on  the  last  day  of  Febru- 
ary ;  they  needed  it  to  cheer  tliem.  The  scurvy  spots 
that  mottled  the  faces  of  almost  all  gave  sore  proof  of 
the  trials  they  had  undergone.  The  crew  were  now 
(March,  l854)  almost  unfitted  by  debility  for  arduous 
work,  and  only  six  dogs  remained  of  nine  splendid  New 
foundlunders  and  thirty-five  Esquimaux  dogs.  "  An  Arc- 
tic night  and  an  Arctic  day,"  Dr.  Kane  emphatically  re- 
marks, "  age  a  man  more  rapidly  and  harshly  than  a  year 
anywhere  else  in  all  this  weary  world."  Sometimes,  in 
their  excursions  over  the  ice,  the  men  had  to  drag  the 
eledge,  and  flounder  through  snow-drifts  in  which  they 
eauk  at  every  step  nearly  over  their  legs. 


Va.  KANE'S  EXPEDITIOlf. 


487 


SLEDGE-PARTr. 


In  order  to  ascertain  whether  it  were  practicable  to 
force  a  way  over  the  crowded  bergs  and  mountainous 
ice  of  the  frozen  area  toward  tlie  north,  Dr.  Kane  now 
organized  a  party  of  the  strongest  men,  wlio  volunteered 
their  services  for  the  labor,  placing  himself  at  their  head  • 
and,  on  the  19th  of  March,  sent  out  an  advanced  corps 
to  place  a  relief  cargo  of  provisions  at  a  suitable  dis- 
tance  from  the  brig.  On  the  ninth  day  of  their  absence 
the  latter  encountered  a  heavy  gale  from  the  north-eaot ; 
the  thermometer  fell  to  fiffy-seven  degrees  below  zero, 
and  the  ice-ridges  became  so  obstructed  by  snow  aa  to 
prevent  their  depositing  their  stores  beyond  fifty  miles 
from  the  brig. 

By  the  31st  three  of  the  members  of  this  advance 
party  returned  to  the  brig,  swollen,  haggard,  and  hardly 
able  Uy  speak.  They  had  left  four  of  their  number  iu  a 
tent  on  the  ice,  frozen  and  disabled.  On  being  iuihimtd 
ot  the  disaster.  Dr.  Kane  started  for  the  rescue  with 
nine  men,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Ohlsen,  one  of  the 
returned  party,  whose  previous  exposure,  however,  Lad 
rendered  his  services  aa  a  guide  almost  useless.  We 
will  here  quote  the  commander's  own  graphic  words: 

"We  had  been  nearly  eighteen  hours  out  withoat 


'i 


488 


DR.   KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


I 

'I 


water  or  food,  wlien  a  new  hope  cheered  us.  I  think 
It  was  Hans,  olt  Esquimaux  hunter,  who  thought  ho 
eaw  a  broad  sledge-track.  The  drift  had  nearly  effaced 
it,  and  we  were  some  of  us  doubtful  at  first  whether  it 
was  not  one  of  those  accidental  rifts  which  the  gales 
make  in  the  surfiice-snow.  But,  as  we  traced  it  on  to 
the  deep  snow  among  the  hummocks,  we  were  led  to 
footsteps  ;  and,  following  these  with  religious  care,  wo 
at  last  came  in  sight  of  a  small  American  flag  fluttering 
from  a  hummock,  and  lower  down  a  little  Masonic  ban- 
ner hanging  from  a  tent-pole  hardly  above  the  drift.  It 
was  the  camp  of  our  disabled  comrades  :  we  readied  it 
&fter  an  unbroken  march  of  twenty-one  hours. 

••  The  little  tent  was  nearly  covered.  I  was  not 
ari;ong  the  first  to  come  up ;  but,  when  I  reached  the 
tt-nt-curtain,  the  men  were  standing  in  silent  file  on  each 
side  of  it.  With  more  kindness  and  delicacy  of  feeling 
than  is  often  supposed  to  belong  to  sailors,  but  which  is 
almost  characteristic,  they  intimated  their  wish  that  I 
should  go  in  alone.  As  I  crawled  in,  and,  coming  upon 
the  darkness,  heard  before  me  the  burst  of  welcome 
gladness  that  came  from  the  four  poor  fellows  stretched 
on  their  backs,  and  then  for  the  first  time  the  cheer  out- 
side, my  weakness  and  my  gratitude  together  almost 
overcame  me.  '  They  had  expected  me  ;  they  were  sure 
I  would  come  I  '  " 

Wo  copy  entire  Dr.  Kane's  spirited  account  of  the 
retreat  of  the  party,  now  consisting  of  fifteen  souls  : 

"  It  was  fortunate  indeed  that  we  were  not  inexpe- 
rienced in  sledging  over  the  ice.  A  great  part  of  our 
track  lay  among  a  succession  of  hummocks ;  some  of 
them  extended  in  long  lines  fifteen  and  twenty  feet  high, 
and  so  uniformly  steep  that  we  had  to  turn  them  by  a 
considerable  deviation  from  our  direct  course ;  others 
that  we  forced  our  way  through,  far  above  our  heads  in 


DK.  KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


489 


height,  lying  in  parallel  ridges,  with  the  space  betweeu 
too  narrow  Ibr  the  sledge  to  be  lowered  into  it  safely 
and  yet  not  wide  enough  for  the  runners  to  cross  with' 
out  the  aid  of  ropes  to  stay  thorn.  These  spaces  too 
were  generally  choked  with  light  snow,  hiding  the 
openings  between  the  ice-fragments.  They  were  fear- 
ful traps  to  disengage  a  limb  from  ;  for  every  man  knew 
that  a  fracture,  or  a  sprain  even,  would  cost  him  his  life 
Besides  all  this,  the  sledge  was  top-heavy  with  its  load  • 
the  maimed  men  could  not  bear  to  be  lushed  down  tight 
enough  to  secure  them  against  falling  off.  Notwith- 
standing our  caution  in  rejecting  every  superfluous  bur. 
den,  the  weight,  including  bags  and  tent,  was  eleven 
hundred  pounds. 

"  And  yet  our  march  for  the  first  six  hours  was  very 
cheering.     We  made,  by  vigorous  pulls  and  lifts,  nearly 
11  mile  an  hour,  and  reached  the  new  floes  before  we 
were  absolutely  weary.     Our  sledge  sustained  the  trial 
admirably.     Ohlsen,  restored  by  hope,  walked  steadily 
at  the  leading-belt  of  the  sledge-lines  ;  and  I  began  to 
feel  certain  of  reaching  our  half-way  station  of  the  day 
before,  where  we  had  left  our  tent.     But  we  were  still 
n.ne  miles  from  it,  when,  almost  without  premonition,  wo 
all  became  aware  of  an  alarming  failure  of  our  energies 
"  I  was  of  course  familiar  with  the  benumbed  and 
almost  lethargic  sensation  of  extreme  cold :  and  once 
when  exposed  for  some  hours  in  the  midwinter  of  Baf- 
fin's Bay,  1  had  experienced  symptoms  which  I  com- 
pared  to  the  diffused  paralysis  of  the  electro-galvanic 
shock.     But  I  had  treated  the  deepy  comfort  of  freezing 
as  something  like  the  embellishment   of  romance.     I 
had  eviderrie  now  to  the  contrary. 

"  Bonsall  and  Morton,  two  of  our  stoutest  men,  came 
to  me,  begging  permission  to  sleep  ;  '  they  wore  not 
cold  :  the  wind  did  not  enter  them  now  :  a  little  sleep 


pi 


u 


190 


DR.    KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


was  all  they  wanted.'  Presently  Hans  was  found  nearly 
stiff  under  a  drift ;  and  Thomas,  bolt  upright,  had  bis 
eyes  closed,  and  could  hardly  articulate.  At  last,  John 
Blake  threw  himself  on  the  snow,  and  refused  to  rise. 
They  ''i  "*•  nompiain  of  feeling  cold  ;  but  it  was  in 
vain   t..    •  rcstled,    boxed,    ran,  argued,  jeered,  or 

repriman  1    , :  an  imm'-diate  halt  could  not  be  avoided. 

"  We  pitched  our  tent  with  much  difficulty.  Our 
hands  were  ,too  powerless  to  strike  a  fire  :  we  were 
obliged  to  do  without  water  or  food.  Even  the  spirits 
(whiskey)  had  frozen  at  the  men's  feet,  under  all  the 
coverings.  We  put  Bonsall,  Ohlsen,  Thomas,  and 
Hans,  with  the  other  sick  men,  well  inside  the  tent,  and 
crowded  in  as  many  others  as  we  could.  Then,  leaving 
the  party  in  charge  of  Mr.  McGary,  with  orders  to  come 
on  after  four  hours'  rest,  I  pushed  ahead  with  William 
Godfrey,  who  volunteered  to  be  my  companiou.  My 
aim  was  to  reach  the  half-way  tent,  and  thaw  some  ice 
and  pemmican  before  the  others  arrived. 

"  The  floe  was  level  ice,  and  the  walking  e.\cellent 
I  cannot  tell  how  long  it  took  us  to  make  the  nine  miles  ; 
for  we  were  in  a  strange  sort  of  stupor,  and  had  little 
apprehension  of  time.  It  was  probably  about  four 
hours.  We  kept  ourselves  awake  by  imposing  on  each 
other  a  continued  articulation  of  words  ;  they  must  have 
been  incoherent  enough.  I  recall  these  hours  as  among 
the  most  wretched  I  have  ever  gone  through  :  we  were 
neitlier  of  us  in  our  right  senses,  and  retiiined  a  very 
confused  recollection  of  what  preceded  our  anival  ut 
the  tent.  We  both  of  us,  however,  remember  a  bear, 
who  walked  leisurely  before  us,  and  tore  up  as  he  went 
ajumper  tiiat  Mr.  McGary  had  improvidently  thrown 
off  the  day  before.  Tie  tore  it  into  shreds  and  rolled  it 
into  a  ball,  but  never  offered  to  interfere  with  our  prog- 
rtiss.      1    remember  this,  and   with  it  a  confused  senii- 


'!    I- 


I"  i 


• 


DR.  KANE'S  EXPEDmON.  49] 

ment  that  our  tont  and  buffalo-robes  might  probably 
share  tho  same  fate.  Godfrey,  with  whom  the  memory 
01  tins  day  s  work  may  atone  for  mui.y  faults  of  a  later 
time,  had  a  better  eye  than  myself;  and,  looking  some 
miles  ahead,  he  could  see  that  our  tent  was  undergoing 
the  same  unceremonious  treatment.  I  thought  I  saw  it 
too  ;  but  we  were  so  drunken  with  cold  that  we  strode 
on  steadily,  and,  for  aught  I  know,  without  quickening 
our  pace,  ° 

"Probably  our  approach  saved  the  contents  of  the 
tent ;  for  when  we  reached  it  the  tent  was  uninjured, 
though  the  bear  had  overturned  it,  tossing  the  buffalo- 
robes  and  pemmican  into  the  snow;  we  missed  only  a 
couple  of  blanket-bags.     What  wo  recollect,  however 
and  perhaps  all  we  recollect,  is,  that  we  had  great  diffii 
culty   ,n    raising  it.      We   crawled   into   our  reindeer 
sleepmg-bags,  without  speaking,  and  for  the  next  three 
hours  slept  on  in  a  dreamy  but  intense  slumber.     When 
I  awoke,  rny  long  beard  was  a  mass  of  ice,  frozen  fast 
to  the  buffalo-skm  :  Godfrey  had  to  cut  me  out  with  his 
jack-knife.     Four  days   after  our  escape,  I  found  my 
woollen  comfortable  with  a  goodly  share  of  my  beard 
still  adhenng  to  it. 

"We  were  able  to  melt  water  and  get  some  soup 
cooked  before  the  rest  of  our  party  arrived  :  it  took 
them  but  five  hours  to  walk  the  nine  miles.  They  were 
|^^on>g  well,  and,  considering  the  circumstances,  in  won. 
derful  spu-its.  The  day  was  most  providentially  win.l- 
l."Bs,  with  a  clear  sun.  All  enjoyed  the  refreshment  we 
had  got  ready  :  the  crippled  were  repacked  in  their 
robes  ;  and  we  sped  briskly  toward  the  hummock-ridges 
which  lay  between  us  and  the  Pinnacly  Berg 

"The  hummocks  we  had  now  to  meet  came  properly 
umh^r  th,.  designation  of  sqr.eezed  ice.  A  great  chain 
of  bergs  stretching  from  north-west  to  south-east,  mov 


III 


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492 


DR.   KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


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ing  with  tho  tides,  had  compressed  the  surfrice-floes ; 
and,  rearing  them  up  on  their  edges,  produced  an  area 
more  like  the  volcanic  pedragal  of  the  basin  of  Mexico 
than  anything  else  I  can  compare  it  to. 

"  It  required  desperate  efforts  to  work  our  way  over 
it  —  literally  desperate,  for  our  strength  failed  us  anew, 
and  we  began  to  lose  our  self-control.  We  could  not 
abstain  any  longer  from  eating  snow ;  our  raoutiis 
swelled,  and  some  of  us  became  speechless.  Happily, 
the  day  was  warmed  by  a  clear  sunshine,  and  tho  ther- 
inom(!ter  rose  to  — 4°  in  the  shade  ;  otherwise  we  must 
have  frozen. 

"  Our  halts  multiplied,  and  we  fell  half-sleeping  on 
the  snow.  I  could  not  prevent  it.  Strange  to  say,  it 
refreshed  us.  I  ventured  upon  the  experiment  myself, 
making  Riley  wake  me  at  the  end  of  three  minutes  ; 
and  I  felt  so  much  benefited  by  it  that  I  timed  the  men 
in  the  same  way.  They  sat  on  the  runners  of  the 
sledge,  fell  asleep  instantly,  and  were  forced  to  wake- 
fulness when  their  three  minutes  were  out. 

"  By  eight  in  the  evening  we  emerged  from  the  floes. 
The  sight  of  the  Pinnacly  Berg  revived  us.  Brandy, 
an  invaluable  resource  in  emergencj',  had  already  been 
served  out  in  table-spoonful  doses.  We  now  took  a 
longer  rest,  and  a  last  but  stouter  dram,  and  reached 
the  brig  at  one  p.  m.,  we  believe,  without  a  halt. 

"  I  say  we  believe;  and  here,  pcrliaps,  is  the  most 
decided  proof  of  our  sufferings  ;  we  were  quite  delir- 
ious, and  had  ceased  to  entertain  a  sane  apprehension 
cf  the  circumstances  about  us.  We  moved  on  like  men 
ill  a  dream.  Our  foot-marks,  seen  afterward,  showed 
tliat  we  had  steered  a  bee-line  for  the  brig.  It  must 
have  been  by  a  sort  of  instinct,  for  it  left  no  impress  on 
the  memory.  Bonsall  was  sor  t  staggering  ahead,  and 
reached   the  brig,   God  knows  how,   for  he   hud   fallen 


DR.   KANES  EXPEDITION.  49,T 

repeatedly  al  the  track-lines  ;  but  he  delivered,  with 
punctilious  accuracy,  the  messages  I  had  sent  by  him 
to  Dr.  Hayes  I  thought  myself  the  soundest  of  all  • 
for  I  went  through  all  the  formula  of  sanity,  and  can 
recall  the  muttering  delirium  of  my  comrades  when  we 
got  back  into  the  cabin  of  our  brig.  Yet  I  have  been 
told  since  of  some  speeches,  and  some  orders,  too  of 
mine  which  I  should  have  romembered  for  their  absurd- 
ity, if  my  mind  bad  retained  its  balance 

"Petersen  and  WL  pple  came  out  to  meet  us  about 
two  miles  from  the  br.  ..    They  brought  my  dog-team, 
with  the  restoratives  i  had  sent  for  by  Bonsall      I  do 
not  remember  their  coming.     Dr.  Hayes  entered  with 
judicious  energy  upon   the   treatment  our    condition 
called  for;   administering  morphine  freely,  after  the 
usual  frictions.    He  reported  none  of  our  brain-symp- 
toms as  serious,  referring  them  properly  to  the  class  of 
those  indicationa  of  exhausted  power  which  yield  to  a 
generous  diet  and  rest.    Mr.  Ohlsen  suffered  some  time 
from  strabismus  and  blindness  ;  two  others  underwent 
amputation  of  parts  of  the  foot,  without  unpleasant 
consequences  ;  and  two  died,  in  spite  of  all  our  efforts 
This  rescue-party  had  been  out  for  seventy-two  hours 
We  had  halted  in  all  eight  hours,  half  of  our  number 
sleeping  at  a  time.     We  travelled  between  eighty  and 
mnety  miles,  most  of  th«  way  dragging  a  heavy  sledge. 
The  mean  temperature  of  the  whole  time,  including  the 
warmest  hours  of  three  days,  was  at  minus  41».2.     We 
had  no  water  eicept  at  our  two  halts,  and  were  at 
no   time  able  to  intermit  vigorous   exercise   without 
freezing. 

"ApriU.  Tuesday.  —Four  days  have  passed,  and  I 
*m  again  at  my  record  of  failures,  sound,  but  aching 
still  in   ^very  joint.     The  rescued  men  are  not  out  of 


1-.',  ■  * 


494 


DR.    KANE'S   EXPEDITION. 


danger,  but  their  gratitude  is  very  touching.  Pray 
God  that  they  may  live  I  " 

Tiio  lirst  appearunce  of  the  Etiquiinaux  ia  thus  d^ 
Bcribod  : 

"  We  were  watching,  in  the  morning,  at  Baker's 
deatl»-bcd,  when  one  of  our  decit-watch,  wiio  had  been 
cutting  ice  for  the  nielter,  came  hurrying  down  to  the 
cabin  witli  tlio  report,  '  People  hollaing  ashore  I  '  I 
went  up,  followed  by  aa  many  as  could  mount  the  gang- 
way ;  and  there  they  were,  on  all  sides  of  our  rocky 
harbor,  dotting  the  Know-shores,  and  emerging  from  the 
blackness  of  the  clifl's  —  wild  and  uncouth,  but  evi- 
dently human  beings 

"  As  we  gathered  on  the  deck,  they  rose  upon  the 
more  elevated  fragments  of  the  iand-ice,  standing  singly 
and  conspicuously,  like  the  figures  in  a  tableau  of  the 
opera,  and  distributing  themselves  around  almost  in  a 
half-circle.  They  were  vociferating  as  if  to  attract  our 
attention,  or,  perhaps,  only  to  give  vent  to  their  sur- 
prise ;  but  I  could  make  nothing  out  of  their  cries, 
except  '  Iloaii,  ha,  ha  I '  and  '  Ka,  kaah  I  ka,  kaah  I ' 
repeated  over  and  over  again, 

"  There  was  light  enough  for  me  to  see  that  they 
brandished  no  weapons,  and  were  only  tossing  their 
heads  and  arms  about  in  violent  gesticulations.  A  more- 
unexcited  inspection  showed  us,  too,  that  their  numbers 
were  not  as  great,  nor  their  size  as  Patagonian,  as  some 
of  us  had  been  disposed  to  fancy  at  first.  In  a  word,  I 
was  satisfied  that  they  were  natives  of  the  country  ; 
and,  calling  Petersen  from  his  bunk  to  be  my  interpreter, 
1  proceeded,  unarmed,  and  waving  my  open  hands, 
toward  a  stout  figure,  who  made  himself  conspicuous, 
and  seemc^d  to  have  a  greater  number  near  him  than 
the  rest.     He  evidently  understood  the  aiovemert ;  for 


DR.   KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


490 


ho  At  once,  liko  a  bravo  follow,  leaped  down  upon  the 
flo-;,  and  advanced  to  meet  mo  fully  half-way. 

"  I[e  was  nearly  a  head  tailor  than  myself,  extremely 
poworful  and  well-built,  with  swarthy  complexion,  and 
black  eyes.  His  dress  was  a  hooded  capute  or  jumper, 
of  mixed  white  and  blue  fox-pelts,  arranged  with  somo' 
thing  of  fancy  ;  and  booted  trousers  of  white  bear-skin,' 
which,  at  tlie  end  of  the  foot,  wore  made  to  terminate 
with  the  claws  of  tho  animal. 

"  I  soon  came  to  an  understanding  with  this  gallant 
diplomatist.  Almost  as  soon  as  we  commenced  our 
parley,  his  companions,  probably  receiving  signals  from 
him,  llocked  in  and  surrounded  us  ;  but  we  had  no  diffl- 
oulty  in  making  them  know,  positively,  that  they  must 
remain  where  they  were,  while  Motek  went  with  me  on 
board  the  ship.  This  gave  me  the  advantage  of  nego- 
tiating with  an  important  hostage. 

"  Although  this  was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  seen 
a  white  man,  he  wont  with  me  fearlessly,  his  compan- 
ions staying  behind  on  the  ice.  Hickey  took  them  out 
what  he  esteemed  our  greatest  delicacies  —  slices  of 
good  wheat  broad,  and  corned  pork,  with  exorbitant 
lumps  of  white  sugar  ;  but  they  refused  to  touch  them 
They  had  evidently  no  apprehension  oi  open  violence 
from  us.  I  found,  afterward,  that  several  among  them 
were  singly  a  match  for  the  white  bear  and  the  walrus, 
and  that  they  thought  us  a  very  pale-faced  crew. 

"  Being  satisfied  with  my  interview  in  the  cabin  1 
sent  out  word  that  the  rest  might  be  admitted  to  the 
slnp  :  and,  although  they,  of  course,  could  not  know 
now  thoir  chief  had  been  dealt  with,  some  nine  or  ten 
of  them  followed,  with  boisterous  readiness,  upon  the 
bidding.  Others,  in  tht  mean  time,  as  if  disposed  to 
give  us  their  company  for  the  full  time  of  a  v-sit 
l)rought  up  from  behind  the  land-ice  as  many  as  fifty-six' 


i 


496 


DR.    KANE'S  KXI'EDITION. 


/^^^B 

1 

6ne  (logH,  with  tlieir  Hledgos,  uikI  Hocured  lliotn  withir 
two  hundred  foot  of  the  brig,  driving  thoir  hincos  itit<i 
the  icu,  uiid  picketing  the  dogs  to  them  by  the  Heul-sl<in 
traceH.  The  ani  <al8  undorBtood  the  operation  perfectly, 
and  lay  down  an  Boon  as  it  commenced.  The  eledges 
were  made  np  of  snuill  fragments  of  porous  bone,  admira- 
bly knit  together  by  thongs  of  hide  ;  the  runners,  which 
glistened  like  burnished  steel,  were  of  highly-polished 
ivory,  obtained  from  the  tusks  of  the  walrus. 

"  The  only  arms  they  carried  were  knives,  concealed 
in  their  boots  ;  but  thoir  lances,  which  were  lashed  to 
the  sledges,  were  quite  a  formidable  weapon.  The  staff 
was  of  the  horn  of  the  narwhal,  or  else  of  the  thigh-bones 
of  the  bear,  two  lashed  together  ;  or  sometimes  the 
mirabilis  of  the  walrus,  three  or  four  of  them  united. 
This  last  was  a  favorite  material,  also,  for  the  cross-bars 
of  their  sledges.  They  had  no  wood.  A  single  rusty 
hoop  from  a  current-drifted  cask  might  have  furnished 
all  the  knives  of  the  party  ;  but  the  fleam-shaped  tips 
)f  their  lances  were  of  unmistakable  steel,  and  wore 
riveted  to  the  tapering,  bony  point,  with  no  mean  skill. 
I  learned  afterward  that  the  metal  was  obtained  in  traffic 
from  the  more  southern  tribes. 

"  They  were  clad  much  aa  I  have  described  Mctek, 
in  jumpers,  boots,  and  white  bear-skin  breeches,  with 
their  feet  decorated  like  his,  en  griffe.  A  strip  of  knot- 
ted leather  worn  round  the  neck,  very  greasy  and  dirty- 
looking,  which  no  one  could  be  persuaded  to  part  with 
for  an  instant,  was  mistaken,  at  first,  for  an  ornament 
by  the  crew  ;  it  was  not  until  mutual  hardships  had 
made  us  better  acquainted  that  we  learned  its  mys- 
terious uses. 

"  When  they  were  first  allowed  to  come  on  board, 
they  were  very  rude  and  difficult  to  manage.  They 
upokc  three  or  four  at  a  time,  to  each  othe-  and  to  us 


The  Steamkii  "Auctic"  irNOKR  Sail. 


I4W7] 


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DR.   KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


499 


laughing  heartily  at  our  ignorance  in  not  understanding 
them,  and  then  talking  away,  as  before.  They  were  in- 
cessantly in  motion,  — going  everywhere,  trying  doors, 
and  squeezing  themselves  through  dark  paseagcs,  round 
casks  and  boxes,  and  out  into  the  light  again,  anxious  to 
touch  and  handle  everything  they  saw,  and  asking  for 
or  else  endeavoring  to  steal,  everything  they  touched. 
It  was  the  more  difficult  to  restrain  them,  as  I  did  not 
wish  them  to  suppose  that  we  were  at  all  intimidated. 
But  there  were  some  signs  of  our  disabled  condition, 
which  it  was  important  they  should  not  see  ;  it  was 
especially  necessary  to  keep  them  out  of  the  forecastle, 
where  the  dead  body  of  poor  Baker  was  lying ;  and,  as 
it  was  in  vain  to  reason  or  persuade,  we  had,  at  last,  to 
employ  the  '  gentle  laying-on  of  hands,'  which,  I  believe, 
the  laws  of  all  countries  tolerate,  to  keep  them  in  order. 

"  Our  whole  force  was  mustered,  and  kept  constantly 
on  the  alert ;  but,  though  there  may  have  been  some- 
thing of  discourtesy  in  the  occasional  shoulderings  and 
bustlings  that  enforced  the  police  of  the  ship,  things 
went  on  good-humorcdly.  Our  guests  continued  run- 
ning in  and  out  and  about  the  vessel,  bringing  in  pro- 
visions, and  carrying  them  out  again  to  their  dogs  on 
the  ice  ;  in  fact,  stealing  all  the  time,  until  the  after- 
noon, when,  like  tired  children,  they  threw  themselves 
down  to  sleep.  I  ordered  them  to  be  made  comfortable 
in  the  hold  ;  and  Morton  spread  a  large  bumUo-robe  for 
them  not  far  from  a  coal-fire  in  the  galley-stove. 

"  They  were  lost  in  barbarous  amaze  at  the  new  fuel, 
—  too  hard  for  blubber,  too  soft  for  fire-stone,  —  but 
they  were  content  to  believe  it  might  cook  as  well  as 
seal's  fat.  They  borrowed  from  us  an  iron  pot,  and 
some  melted  water,  and  parboiled  a  couple  of  pieces  of 
walrus-meat ;  but,  the  real  piece  de  resistance,  some  five 
pounds  of  head,  they  preferred  to  eat  raw.     Yet  there 


i 


S 


*<'?'♦» 


600 


DR.   KAliE'S  EXPEDITION. 


was  something  of  the  gourmet  in  their  mode  of  assort* 
ing  their  mouthftils  of  beef  and  blubber  Slicos  of  each, 
or  rather  strips,  passed  between  the  lips,  either  to- 
gether or  in  strict  alternation,  and  with  a  regularity  of 
sequence  that  kept  the  molars  well  to  their  work. 

"  They  did  not  eat  all  at  once,  but  each  man  when 
and  as  often  as  the  impulse  prompted.  Each  slept  after 
eating,  his  raw  chunk  lying  beside  him  on  the  buffalo- 
skin  ;  and,  as  he  woke,  the  first  act  was  to  eat,  and  tho 
next  to  sleep  again.  They  did  not  lie  down,  but  slum- 
bered away  in  a  sittiii'j  posture,  with  the  head  declined 
upon  the  breast,  some  of  them  snoring  famously. 

"  In  the  morning  they  were  anxious  to  go  ;  but  I  had 
given  orders  to  detain  them  for  a  parting  interview  with 
myself.  It  resulted  in  a  treaty,  brief  in  its  terms,  that 
it  might  be  certainly  remembered  ;  and  mutually  bone- 
ficial,  that  it  might  possibly  be  kept.  I  tried  to  make 
them  understand  what  a  powerful  Prospero  they  had  had 
for  a  host,  and  how  beneficent  he  would  prove  himself  so 
long  as  they  did  his  bidding.  And,  as  an  earnest  of  my 
favor,  I  bought  all  the  walrus-meat  they  had  to  spare, 
and  four  of  their  dogs  ;  enriching  them,  in  return,  with 
needles  and  beads,  and  a  treasure  of  old  cask-staves." 

Tlie  flesh  of  the  seal  is  eaten  universally  by  the  Danes 
of  Greenland,  and  is,  at  certain  seasons,  almost  the 
staple  diet  of  the  Esquimaux.  These  animals  are  shot 
lying  by  their  afluk  or  breathing-holes.  Their  eyes  are 
80  congested  by  the  glare  of  the  sun  in  midsummer  as 
to  render  them  more  readily  approachable. 

"  On  one  occasion,"  says  Dr.  Kane,  "  while  working 
my  way  toward  the  Esquimaux  huts,  I  saw  a  large  Usuk 
basking  asleep  upon  the  ice.  Taking  off  my  shoes,  I 
commenced  a  somewhat  refrigerating  process  of  stalk- 
ing, lying  upon  my  belly,  and  crawling  along,  step  by 
itep,  behind  the  little  knobs  of  floe      At  last,  when  I 


DR.  KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


601 


was  within  long  rifle-shot,  the  animal  gave  a  sluggish 
roll  to  one  side,  and  suddenly  lifted  his  head.  The, 
movement  was  evidently  independent  of  me,  for  he 
fltrauied  his  neck  in  nearly  the  opposite  direction.  Then 
for  the  first  time,  I  found  that  1  had  a  rival  seal-hunter 
in  a  large  bear,  who  was,  on  his  belly  like  myself,  wait- 
ing  with  commendable  patience  and  cold  feet  for  a  chance 
oi  nearer  approach. 

"  What  should  I  do  ?  —  the  bear  was  doubtless  worth 
more  to  me  than  the  seal ;  but  the  seal  was  now  within 
shot,  and  the  bear  'a  bird  in  the  bush.'    Besides,  my 
bullet  once  invested  in  the  seal  would  leave  me  defence- 
less.     I  might  be  giving  a  dinner  to  a  bear,  and  saving 
jnyself  for  his  dessert.     These  meditations  were  soon 
brought  to  a  close  ;  for  a  second  movement  of  the  seal 
BO  aroused  my  hunter's  instincts  that  I  pulled  the  trigger 
My  cap  alone  exploded.     Instantly,  with  a  floundering 
splash,  the  seal  descended  into  the  deep,  and  the  bear 
with  three  or  four  rapid  leaps,  stood  disconsolately  by 
the   place  of  his   descent.     For   a   single  moment  we 
stared  each  other  in  the  face,  and  then,  with  that  dis- 
cretion which  is  the  bettor  part  of  valor,  the  bear  ran 
off  in  one  direction,  and  I  followed  his  example  in  the 
other." 

The  month  of  April  was  aboT  ^  to  close,  and  the  short 
season  available  for  Arctic  search  was  already  advanced 
when  Dr.  Kano  started  on  his  grand  sledge  expedition 
to  the  north.  "  It  was."  says  the  enterprising  com- 
mander,  "  to  be  the  crowning  expedition  of  the  campaign 
to  attain  the  uUima  thule  of  the  Greenland  shore,  meas- 
ure  the  waste  that  lay  between  it  and  the  unknown 
west,  and  seek  round  the  furthest  circle  of  the  ice  for 
an  outlet  to  the  mysterious  channels  beyond  "  The 
ngor  of  the  climate,  the  difficulties  of  the  country  the 
failu.e  of  the  caches  which  had  been  broken  into  by  the 


V  ' 


502 


DB.  KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


bears,  the  enfeebled  state  of  the  party,  and  the  iuad«». 
quacy  of  means  and  equipments,  all,  however,  combinea 
to  cause  failure.  By  the  5th  of  May,  Dr.  Kane  had 
become  delirious,  and  fainted  every  time  that  he  was 
taken  from  the  tent  to  the  sledge  ;  so  all  idea  of  further 
progress  had  to  be  given  up.  lie  was  taken  into  the 
brig  on  the  14th,  and  lay  fluctuating  between  life  and 
death  till  the  20th. 

Some  interesting  discoveries  were,  however,  made  oi 
this  unfortunate  trip,  more  especially  of  two  remarkable 
freaks  of  nature,  one  of  which  was  called  the  "  Three 
Brother  Turrets,"  the  other,  "  Tennyson's  Monument." 
The  latter  was  a  solitary  column,  or  "  minaret  tower  " 
of  greenstone,  the  length  of  whose  shaft  was  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  feet,  and  it  rose  on  a  plinth,  or  pedestal, 
itself  two  hundred  and  eighty  feet  high,  as  sharply  fin- 
ished as  if  it  had  been  cast  for  the  Place  VendSme.  But 
by  far  the  most  remarkable  feature  in  the  inland  Green- 
land sea  is  the  so-called  "  Great  Glacier  of  Humboldt," 

"  I  will  not  attempt  "  (writes  Dr.  Kane,  speaking  of 
the  impossibility  of  giving  an  idea  of  this  great  glaciei 
by  sketches)  "  to  do  better  by  florid  description.  Men 
only  rhapsodize  about  Niagara  and  the  ocean.  My 
notes  speak  simply  of  the  '  long,  ever-shining  line  of 
cliff  diminished  to  a  well-pointed  wedge  in  the  perspec- 
tive ;  '  and  again,  of  '  the  face  of  glistening  ice,  sweep- 
ing in  a  long  curve  from  the  low  interior,  the  facets  in 
front  intensely  illuminated  by  the  sun.'  But  this  line 
of  cliff  rose  in  solid  glassy  wall  three  hundred  feet  above 
the  water  level,  with  an  unknown,  unfathomable  depth 
below  it ;  and  its  curved  face,  sixty  miles  in  length, 
from  Cape  Agassiz  to  Cape  Forbes,  vanished  into 
unknown  space  at  not  more  than  a  single  day's  railroad- 
travel  from  the  pole.  The  interior  with  which  it  com- 
municated, and  from  which  it  issued,  was  an  unsurveyed 


m 


DR.  KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


503 


mer  de  glace,  an  ice-ocean,  to  the  eye  of  boundless 
dimensions. 

"  It  was  in  full  sight— the  mighty  crystal  bridge  which 
connects  the  two  continents  of  America  and  Greenland. 
I  say  continents,  for  Greenland,  however  insulated  it 
may  ultimately  prove  to  be,  is  in  mass  strictly  conti- 
nental.  Its  least  possible  axis,  measured  from  Cape 
Farewell  to  the  line  of  this  glacier,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  eightieth  parallel,  gives  a  length  of  more  than 
twelve  hundred  miles,  — not  materially  less  than  that  of 
Australia  from  its  northern  to  its  southern  cape. 

"Imagine  now  the  centre  of  such  a  continent,  oc- 
cupied through  nearly  its  whole  extent  by  a  deep  un- 
broken sea  of  ice,  that  gathers  perennial  increase  from 
the  water-shed  of  vast  snow-covered  mountains,  and  all 
the  precipitations  of  the  atmosphere  upon  its  own  sur- 
face. Imagine  this  moving  onward  like  a  great  glacial 
river,  seeking  outlets  at  every  fiord  and  valley,  rolling 
icy  cataracts  into  the  Atlantic  and  Greenland  seas  ;  and, 
having  at  last  rr  '  I  the  northern  limit  of  the  land  that 
has  borne  it  up,  pouring  out  a  mighty  frozen  torrent 
into  unknown  Arctic  space. 

"  It  is  thus,  and  only  thus,  that  we  must  form  a  just 
conception  of  a  phenomenon  like  this  Great  Glacier.  I 
had  looked  in  my  own  mind  for  such  an  appearance, 
should  I  ever  be  fortunate  enough  to  reach  the  northern 
coast  of  Greenland.  But,  now  that  it  was  before  me,  I 
could  hardly  realize  it.  I  had  recognized,  in  my  quiet 
library  at  home,  the  beautiful  analogies  which  Forbes 
and  Studer  have  developed  between  the  glacier  and  the 
river.  But  I  could  not  comprehend  at  first  this  com- 
plete substitution  of  ice  for  water. 

"  It  was  slowly  that  the  conviction  dawned  on  me 
that  I  was  looking  upon  the  counterpart  of  the  great 
river  system  of  Arctic  Asia  and  America.     Yet  hero 


504 


DR.  KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


were  no  water-feeders  from  the  south.  Every  particle 
of  moisture  had  its  ongiii  within  the  Polar  Circle,  and 
had  been  converted  into  ice.  There  were  no  vast  allu- 
vions, no  forest  or  animal  traces  borne  down  by  liquid 
torrents.  Hero  was  a  plastic,  moving,  semi-solid  mass. 
obliterating  life,  swallowing  rocks  and  islands,  and 
ploughing  its  way  with  irresistible  march  through  the 
crust  of  an  investing  sea." 

"  Humboldt  Glacier  "  and  "  Teunysou's  Monument  " 
will  deservedly  occupy  a  place  in  all  future  editions  of 
those  interesting  little  books  called  "  Wonders  of  tiie 
World."  As  soon  as  Dr.  Kane  had  recovered  enough  to 
become  aware  of  his  failure,  he  began  to  devise  means  for 
remedying  it.  Of  the  ship's  company,  the  only  one 
remaining,  q\ialilied  to  conduct  a  survey,  was  Dr.  Hayes. 
He  accordingly  started  with  a  dog-team,  in  co.iipany 
with  William  Godfrey,  across  Smith's  Straits,  on  the 
20th  of  May,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  79°  45'  north 
latitude,  in  longitude  69°  12'.  The  coast  was  sighted 
for  thirty  miles  to  the  northward  and  eastward,  and  two 
largo  headlands,  called  Capes  Joseph  Leidy  and  John 
Frazer,  were  named  upon  it.  The  doctor  returned  to 
the  brig,  after  a  very  arduous  and  fatiguing  journey,  on 
the  1st  of  June,  worn  out  and  snow-blind.  In  many 
places  he  could  not  have  advanced  but  for  the  dogs. 
Deep  cavities  filled  with  snow  intervened  between  lines 
of  ice-barricades,  making  the  travel  slow  and  tedious. 
For  some  time  ho  was  not  able,  from  snow-blindness,  t 
use  the  sextant.  The  rude  harness  of  the  dogs  would 
get  tangled  and  cause  delay.  It  was  only  after  appro- 
priating an  undue  share  of  his  seal-skin  breeches  tiiat 
Dr.  Ilayes  succeeded  in  patching  up  his  mutilated  dog- 
lines.  Ilis  pemmican  became  so  reduced  that  to  return 
was  a  thing  of  necessity.  The  land-ice  was  travelled 
for  a  while  at  the  rate  of  five  or  six  miles  an  hour  ;  but 


DR.  KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


500 


after  crossing  Dobbin   Bay,  the  snows  were  an  un. 
expected  impediment. 

Notwithstanding  the  perils,  privations,  and  suffer- 
iiiga,  that  had  attended  all  the  sledge-parties,  Dr.  Kane 
determined  to  organize  another  before  the  brief  season 
for  such  had  gone  by.  This  last,  under  Messrs.  M'Gary 
and  Bonsall,  left  the  brig  on  the  3d  of  June,  and  reached 
Humboldt  Glacier  on  the  15th.  They  wore  provided 
with  apparatus  for  climbing  ice,  but  failed  in  all  their 
efforts  to  scale  this  stupendous  glacial  mass.  Tlie  bears 
were  so  bold  as  actually  to  poke  their  heads  in  at  the 
tent-door,  to  the  great  inconvenience  of  the  sleepers 
within.  Four  of  the  party  returned  to  the  brig  on  the 
2'7th,  one  of  them  entirely  blind. 

Hans  and  Morton  remained  out,  pushing  northwards, 
and  keeping  parallel  to  the  glacier  at  a  distance  of  from 
five  to  seven  miles.     They  saw  rectangular  pieces  of  ice, 
apparently  detached  from  the  glacier,  more  than  a  mile 
long  1     On  the  2l8t  of  June  they  sighted  open  water. 
This  was  afterwards  called  Kennedy  Channel.     After 
turning  Cape  Andrew  Jackson  they  made  better  way 
along  the  ice-foot ;  and  they  pursued  their  course  as  far 
as  Cape  Constitution,  on  "Washington  Land,"  in  82» 
27'.     The  highest  point  on  the  opposite  coast  of  "  Grin- 
nell  Land  "  was  a  lofty  mountain,  estimated  to  be  in 
latitude  82°  30',  and  longitude  66"  west,  which  Dr.  Kane 
called  Mount  Edward  Parry ;  who,  he  says,  "  as  he  has 
carried   his   name   to   the   most  northern  latitude  yet 
reached,  should  have  in  this,  the  highest  known  northern 
land,  a  recognition  of  his  preeminent  position  among 
Arctic  explorers."     This  open  channel  was  found  to 
abound  in  seals  :  bears  were  numerous—  one  with  its  cub 
they  succeeded  in  killing;   and   birds,  amrng  which 
were   brent  geese,  eider-ducks,  king-ducks,  dovekies, 
jTills,  soa-swallowB,  and  Arctic  petrels,  were  in  exceed- 


^^^^^^^^^^^^n 

i.:; 

^^^^^^^^^H 

if  *3 

HH^^I 

n 

:  1 

^b'^jIH^^I 

1 

1 

^vfti^H^H 

1 

1' 

J^viiiHHHi 

'11 

H 

^KMStKKBBM 

:^!^ 

B 

^M^mj^Kt 

i 

1 

606 


DR.  KANF/S  EXPEDITION. 


I     i 


^H  '' 

'"iffl^a 

^^■'i-a 

■i: 

;    II^H 

B^ 

P 

■ 

m 

1 

l^jj^Jji     ' 

lug  plenty.  Thia  was  the  crowning  excursion  of  the 
expedition,  and  the  results  present  rich  matter  for  spec- 
uliition  to  those  who  believe  in  an  open  polar  sea  beyond 
the  region  of  embayed  and  strangulated  icc-floos. 

Instead  of  the  Bay  of  Baffin  forming  a  cul  de  sac,  aa 
the  old  tradition  of  the  whalers  conceived,  it  leads  to  a 
strait  (Smith's  Strait),  which  passes  on  into  a  channel 
(Kennedy  Channel),  that  apparently  expands  into  an 
open  polar  sea,  abounding  with  life,  some  three  hundred 
miles  further  to  the  north  than  the  head  of  Baffin's  Bay. 
Tlie  shores  of  this  channel,  terminating  in  the  Cape 
Constitution  of  Mr.  Morton,  in  latitude  81°  22*,  on  the 
eastern  side,  and  in  Sir  Edward  Parry's  peak,  about 
latitude  82°  17',  on  the  western  side,  had  now  been 
delineated  and  mapped  through  an  extent  of  nine  hun- 
dred and  sixty  miles,  at  a  cost  of  two  thousand  miles  of 
travel  on  foot  and  in  sledges.  Mr.  Morton  commenced 
his  return  on  the  25th  of  June,  and  reached  the  ship  on 
the  10th  of  July,  staggering  by  the  side  of  the  limping 
dogs,  one  of  which  was  riding  as  a  passenger  upon  the 
sledge. 

The  summer  of  1854  was  now  wearing  on,  and  yet  no 
prospects  presented  themselves  of  the  ice  breaking  up, 
BO  as  to  liberate  the  brig.  Under  those  circumstances, 
Dr.  Kane  determined  upon  making  an  attempt  to  com- 
municate with  Sir  Edward  Belcher's  squadron  at 
Beechey  Island.  For  this  purpose  a  boat  was  fitted  out, 
called  the  Forlorn  Hope,  and  was  carried  across  the 
heavy  ice-floe  to  be  launched  in  open  water.  On  their 
way  to  the  southward  they  fell  in  with  an  island,  upon 
which  they  killed  a  number  of  eider-ducks,  and  procured 
a  large  supply  of  eggs.  On  the  19th  of  July  they  made 
Cape  Alexander,  and  were  enabled  to  determine  that 
the  narrowest  part  of  Smith's  Strait  is  not,  as  has  been 
considered,  between  Cape  Isabella  and  Cape  Alexander, 


DR.  KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


607 


l)ut  upon  the  parallel  of  78"  24',  where  Cape  laabella 
bears  due  west  of  Littleton  Island,  and  the  diameter  of 


THB   FOBLORN    HOPS   BgCIPPKD. 

the  channel  is  reduced  to  thirty-seven  miles.  Hence, 
they  passed  from  the  straits  into  the  open  seaway.  At 
this  time  a  gale  broke  upon  them  from  the  north,  and 
they  were  exposed  to  all  its  fury  in  the  open  whale-boat. 
Thoy  were  glad  to  drive  before  the  wind  into  the  in-shore 
floes.  The  pack,  so  much  ieared  before,  was  now  looked 
to  as  a  refuge. 

Working  their  way  through  the  broken  pack,  they 
reached  Ilakluyt  Island  on  the  23d  of  July,  where  they 
rested  a  while  and  dried  their  buflalo-robes.  The  next 
morning  they  renewed  their  labors,  but  were  arrested 
by  the  pack  off  Northumberland  Island.  For  four  days 
they  made  strenuous  efforts  to  work  through  the  half- 
open  leads,  but  in  vain  ;  they  had  reached  the  dividing 
pack  of  the  two  great  open  waters  of  Baffin's  Hay,  and 
wiiich  Dr.  Kane  considered  to  be  made  up  of  the  ices 
which  Jones's  Sound  on  the  west,  and  Murchison's  on 
the  east,  had  discharged  and  driven  together.  Under 
these  circumstances,  they  wei-e  obliged  to  return  to 
Northumberland  Island,  which  they  found  to  be  one 
enormous  homestead  of  auks,  dovekies,  and  gulls,  anr* 


; 

Pf 

! 

t 

1 

50D 


DR.  KANE'S  EXPEIJITION. 


whei-e  they  procured  sorrel  and  cochlearia.  Foxes  were 
also  very  numerous.  By  the  time  they  got  back  to  tha 
brig,  the  coinnumder  says  he  and  his  little  party  had 
got  quite  fat  and  strong  upon  the  auks,  eiders,  and 
■curvy-grasa. 

On  board  of  the  Advance,  however,  which  had  now 
been  imprisoned  by  closely-cementing  ice  for  eleven 
months,  as  the  season  travelled  on  and  the  young  ico 
grew  thicker,  faces  began,  also,  to  grow  longer  every 
day.  It  was  the  only  face  with  which  they  could  look 
upon  another  winter.  "  It  is  horribk,"  writes  Dr.  Kane, 
—  "  yes,  that  is  the  word,  —  to  look  forward  to  another 
year  of  disease  and  darkness,  to  be  met  without  fresb 
food  and  without  fuel." 

Under  these  circumstances,  Dr.  Kane  called  the  offl- 
cers  and  crew  together,  and  left  to  every  man  his  own 
choice  to  remain  by  the  ship  or  to  attempt  an  escape  to 
the  Danish  settlements  to  the  southward.  Eight  out  of 
the  seventeen  survivors  resolved  to  stand  by  the  brig 
and  their  commander.  The  remainder  started  off,  on  the 
28th,  "  with  the  elastic  step  of  men  confident  in  their 
purpose  :  "  but  one  returned  a  few  days  afterwards,  and 
all  ultimately  either  found  their  way  back,  or  were 
brought  back  by  the  humane  Esquimaux,  after  hard 
trials,  and  almoHt  unparalleled  sufferings. 

Those  that  remained  with  the  ship  set  to  work  at  once 
gathering  moss  for  eking  out  the  winter  fuel,  and  willow- 
stems  and  sorrr;!  as  antiscorbutics.  The  "  mossing," 
although  it  had  a  pleasant  sound,  was  in  reality  a  fright 
fully  wintry  operation.  The  mixed  turf,  of  willows, 
heaths,  grasses,  and  moss,  was  frozen  solid.  It  had  to 
be  quarried  witli  crowbars,  and  carried  to  the  ship  like 
80  much  stone.  With  this  they  banked  up  the  ship's 
sides,  and  below  they  enclosed  a  space  some  eighteen 
feet  square,  and  packed  it  with  the  same  material  fiora 


DU.   KANE'S   EXPEDITION. 


50y 


floor  to  ceiling. 


Tlio  eiitiiiiico  was  also  by  a  low,  nios* 
llnod  tutiiiel,  and  in  tliis  apartment  the  men  stowed 
uway  for  the  winter.  The  closer  they  lay,  the  warmer. 
Dr.  Kuiu;  was  onuo  more  nearly  lost,  however,  before 
(lurkiiuHS  came  on.  In  an  attempt  to  kill  a  seal  lie  got 
upon  thin  ice,  and  was,  with  dogs  and  sledge,  thrown 
into  open  water.  Ho  owed  his  extrication,  when 
nearly  gone,  to  a  newly-bioken  toam-dog,  who  was  etill 
fast  to  the  sledge,  and  drew  it  and  the  doctor  up  on  to 
the  iloe. 

An  occasional  intercourse  Lad  always  been  kept  up 
with  the  Esquimaux.  Wo  have  seen  that  they  camo  to 
pilft'r,  and  Dr.  Kane  retorted  by  making  some  of  them 
prisoners.  A  treaty  of  friendship  was  then  made,  and 
never  broken  by  the  natives.  The  nearest  Esquimaux 
settlement  was  distant,  by  do;,--journey,  about  seventy- 
five  miles  ;  and  with  this  rud  3  but  friendly  people  our 
adventurers  established  a  communication,  and  procured, 
from  them  supplies  of  bear-meat,  seal,  walrus,  fox,  and' 
ptarmigan,  which  were  eaten  raw,  — the  custom  in  thi* 
region.  But  these  supplies  became  scanty  with  the 
approach  of  the  dark  njontha.  Attempts  to  reach  tiie 
Esquimaux  were  rendered  impracticable  by  the  rugged, 
tiess  of  the  ice  ;  and  this  unfortunate  people  were  them» 
selves  reduced  to  the  lowest  stages  of  misery  and. 
emaciation  by  iamine,  attended  with  various  iVightful 
forms  of  disease. 

On  the  Uth  of  January  Dr.  Kane  congratulated  him- 
self that  in  five  more  dayn  the  mid-day  sun  would  be 
only  "eight  deyreea  below  llw  horizon."  On  the  9th  of 
February  he  wrote  in  his  journal :  "  It  is  enough  to 
solemnize  men  of  more  joyous  temperament  than  oura 
has  been  for  some  months.  We  are  contending  at 
odds  with  angry  innes  close  around  us,  without  one 
agent  or  influence  within  eighteen  hundred  miles  whose 


I 


510 


DR.   KANE'b  EXPEDITION. 


Bympiitliy  is  on  oui  Biilo."  There  were  no  star  obsor 
vatidiiH  thiH  winter;  tlie  obBorvatory  had  become  tlio 
niauHoleuin  ol'  the  two  of  tlie  party  who  had  Huci'unibed 
after  the  exeuvbioii  in  the  Hnow-drift.  In  the  beginning 
of  Mareli  every  man  on  board  was  tainted  with  scurvy  ; 
and  often  uoi  more  tiian  throe  wore  able  to  make  exer- 
tion in  beiialf  of  the  rest.  On  the  4th  of  the  month 
the  hist  remnant  of  fresh  meat  was  doled  out,  and  the 
invalidrt  began  to  sink  rapiilly.  Their  lives  were  only 
saved  by  the  sucuohs  of  a  forlorn-hope  excursion  of 
Hans  to  the  remote  EBquimaux  hunting-station  Etah, 
seventy-flve  miles  away,  whither  he  went  in  search  of 
walrus. 

On  one  occasion  the  adventurers  killed  a  bear  that 
nad  corao  with  its  cub,  pressed  by  extreme  hunger, 
close  to  the  brig.  It  is  painful  to  read  the  details  of 
the  struggle,  from  the  wonderful  attachment  shown  by 
the  mother  to  its  cub,  and  by  the  latter  to  its  parent,  to 
whom  it  always  clung,  even  in  death.  But  the  men's 
lives  were  valuable  ;  and  it  was  thought  excusable  to 
kill  two  bears  when  the  glaucous  gulls  were  seen  gob- 
bling up  young  eider-ducks  in  the  face  of  their  dis- 
tracted mothers  by  n'outhfuls.  Dr.  Kane  was  the  oidy 
person  who  would  eat  rats.  lie  attributes  his  compara- 
tive immunity  from  scurvy  to  "  rat-soup."  Among  the 
Arctic  dainties  which  seem  most  to  have  excited  his 
gastronomic  enthusiasm  was  frozen  walrus-liver,  eaten 
raw. 

Having  no  fuel,  they  were  now  reduced  to  the  Esqui 
maux  system  of  relying  on  lamps  for  heat  ;  beds  and 
bedding  hence  became  black  with  soot,  and  their  faces 
were  begrimed  with  fatty  carbon.  The  journal  is  now 
little  more  tiian  a  chronicle  of  privations  and  sufl'erings, 
mterspersed  with  extraordinary  eflbrts  to  keep  up  com- 
munications with  the  Esquimaux.    It  is,  without  compar 


DR.   RANK'S  KXl'EDmON 


011 


son,  tho  most  painlully  intoroHting  record  of  oxpeiicncfl 
in  wintering  in  the  Tar  north  that  Hub  over  yet  ht^n 
pul.I.Hhod.  In  tho  mi.lHt  of  their  troubles  two  of  the  men 
tried  to  desert,  hut  only  o.io  -  Godfrey  -  succeeded 
Jlo  returnod.  strange  to  nay,  on  tho  2d  of  April  with 
food,  in  a  sledge,  but  would  not  himself  quit  tho  Esqui. 
maux.  Under  a  misapprehension  that  he  had  n.bbe.I 
Hans,  one  of  tho  hunters,  of  his  sledge  and  dogs,  his 
life  was  near  being  sacrificed  by  the  commander  from 
whom  he  had  deserted. 

Tho  abandonment  of  the  brig  was  now  resolved  on 
Before  spring  could  bo  welcomed,  preparations  had  been 
going  ou  for  some  time  for  a  sledge  and  boat  escape 
from  their  long  imprisonment.     Tho  employment  thus 
given  to  the  men  exerted  a  wholesome  influence  on  their 
moral  tone,  and  assisted  their  convalescence.    They  had 
tluee  boats,  and  they  all  required  to  be  strengthened. 
There  was    clothing,  bedding,  and   provision-bags,  to 
make.     The  sledges  had  to  be  prepared.     Tho  17th  of 
May  was  appointed  for  the  start.     The  farewell  to  the 
Bhip  was  most  impressive.     Prayers  were  read,  and  then 
a  chapter  of  the  Bible.     The  flags  were  then  hoisted  and 
hauled  down  again,  and  she  was  left  alone  in  the  ice 
Godfrey  had,  by  this  time,  it  is  to  be  observed,  rejoined 
the  ship  ;  so  the  party  consisted  altogether  of  seventeen, 
of  whom  four  were  unable  to  move. 

The  collections  of  natural  history  the  party  were 
reluctantly  compelled  to  leave  behind,  and  part  of  tho 
apparatus  for  observations,  as  well  as  the  library  of  the 
commander,  and  the  books  furnished  by  the  govern- 
mont  and  Mr.  GrinncU  for  the  use  of  tho  vessel. 
Nothing  was  retained  but  the  documents  of  the  expe- 
dition. 

At  Etah  the  Esquimaux  settlement  were  found  "  out 
on  the  bare  rocks,"  enjoying  the  plenty  which  spring 


512 


DR.   KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


had  brought.  "  Rudest  of  gypsies,  how  they  squalled 
and  laughed,  and  snored,  and  rolled  about !  Some  were 
sucking  bird-skins  ;  others  were  boiling  incredible  nuna- 
bers  of  auks  in  huge  soapstone  pots ;  and  two  young- 
Bters,  crying,  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  '  Oopegsoak  I 
oopegsoak  I '  were  fighting  for  an  owl. 


ESQtTlMAUX   BOY   CATCIIINO    AUKS. 

"  There  was  enough  to  make  them  improvident  The 
little  auks  were  breeding  in  the  low  cones  of  rubbish 
under  the  cliil's  in  such  numbers  tliat  it  cost  them  no 
more  to  get  food  than  it  does  a  cook  to  gather  vegetap 
bles.     A  boy,  ordered  to  climb  the  rocks  with  oim  of 


DR.   KANE'S  EXPEDraON 


513 


their  purec-nots  of  seal-skin  at  the  end  of  a  narwhal's 
tusk,  would  return  in  a  kw  minutes  with  as  many  as  he 
could  carry." 

Up  to  the  23d  the  progress  of  Dr.  Kane's  party  was 
little  more  tlian  a  mile  a  day.  The  housed  boats  luck- 
ily afforded  tolerably  good  sleeping-berths  at  night.  On 
the  ftth  of  Juno,  Ohlsen  injured  himself  so  in  an  attempt 
to  rescue  a  sledge  from  falling  into  a  tide-hole,  that  he 
dica  throe  days  afterwards. 

"  Still  passing  slowly  on,  day  after  day,  —  I  am  reluct- 
ant."   writes  Dr.  Kane,  "  to  borrow  from  my  journal 
^Jie  details  of  anxiety  and  embarrassment  with  which  it 
abounds  thr  ughout  this  period,  —  we  came  at  last  to  the 
uiimiHtakablo  neighborhood  of  open  water."     This  waa 
off  Pokintlek,  the  largest  of  the  Littleton  Island  group. 
On  Tuosday,  the  19th  of  June,  after  a  long  farewell 
given  to  thcii    long-tried  friends,  the   Esquimaux   of 
Etah,  who  had  brought  them  frequent  supplies  of  birds, 
and  .aided  them  in  carrying  their  provisions  and  stores] 
they  put  to  sea,  and,  the  very  first  day's  navigation,  one  ' 
of  the  boats  swamped.     They  spent  the  first  night  in 
an  inlet  in  the  ice,  and  on  the  22d  reached  Northumber- 
land Island  in  a  snow-storm.     Here  they  got  fresh  pro- 
visions.    They  crossed  Murchison  Channel  on  the  23d 
and  encamped  for  the  night  on  the  land-floe  at  the  base 
of  Cape  Parry  — a  hard  day's  travel,  partly  by  tracking 
over  ice,  partly  through  tortuous  and  zig-zag  leads.    So 
it  was  for   many  successive  days.     One  day  favorable, 
with  open  leads  of  water ;  another,  slow  and  wearisome! 
through  alternate  ice  and  water.     Then  the  floe  would 
break  up  and  carry  them  resistlossly  against  the  rocks. 
Three  lorg  days  they  passed  in  a  cavern  of  rock  and 
i('e.  in   which,  however,  they  found   plenty  of  birds' 
eggs. 

On  the  nth  they  had  doubled  Cape  Dudley  Digges, 


{■''■ 


514 


DR.   KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


■ff> 


and  plants,  and  birda,  and  birds'  eggs,  became  moid 
common.  They  spent  a  week  to  regain  etrengili  at  bo 
productive  a  spot,  which  thej  designated  as  "  Provi- 
dence Halt."  At  the  Crimson  Cliffs  they  again  got  a 
plentiful  supply  of  birds.  On  the  21  st  of  July  they 
reached  Cape  York,  and  made  immediate  preparations 
for  crossing  Melville  Bay,  which  was  a';complibhed 
with  great  labor  and  suffering.  Once  more  they  were 
nearly  starving,  when  a  great  seal  came  providentially 
to  their  succor.  Their  feet  were  ro  swollen  that  they 
were  obliged  to  cut  open  their  canvas  boots.  The  most 
unpleasant  symptom  was  that  they  coidd  not  sleep.  On 
the  1st  of  August  they  sighted  the  Devil's  Thumb. 
Hence  they  fetched  the  Duck  Islands,  and,  passin^^  to 
the  south  of  Cape  Shackleton,  landed  on  lerra  Jirma. 
Two  or  three  days  more,  and  they  were  -under  th5 
shadow  of  Karkamoot. 

"Just  then  a  fiimiliar  sound  came  to  us  over  the 
water.  We  had  often  listened  to  the  screeching  of 
the  gulls,  or  the  bark  of  the  fox,  and  mistaken  it  for 
the  '  Iluk  ■  of  the  Esquimaux  ;  but  this  had  about  it  an 
inflection  not  to  be  mistaken,  for  it  died  away  in  the 
familiar  cadence  of  a  '  halloo.' 

"  '  Listen,  Petersen  !  Oars  —  men  ?  "^^Tiat  is  it  ? '  and 
he  listened  quietly  at  first,  and  then,  trembling,  said,  in 
a  half-whisper,  '  Dannemarkors  I '  " 

It  was  the  TJpernavik  oil-boat,  and  the  next  day  they 
were  at  Upernavik  itself,  after  being  eighty-four  days 
in  the  open  air.  They  could  not  remain  within  the  four 
walls  of  a  house  without  a  distressing  sense  of  suffo- 
cation. 

From  Dr.  Kane's  report  to  the  Navy  Department  we 
quote  the  summing  up  of  the  results  of  the  expediti(m. 
They  embrace  : 


Dll.   KANE'S  EXPEDITION. 


616 


"  I.  The  survey  and  delineation  of  the  north  coast  of 
Greenland  to  its  termination  by  a  great  glacier. 
^  "  2.  The  survey  of  this  glacial  mass,  and  its  exten. 
eion  northward  into  the  new  land  named  Washington. 

"3.  The  discovery  of  a  large  channel  to  the  north- 
west, free  from  ice,  and  leading  into  an  open  and 
expanding  area,  equally  free.  The  whole  embraces  an 
iceless  area  of  four  thousand  two  hundred  miles. 

"4.  The  discovery  and  delineation  of  a  large  tract  of 
land,  forming  the  extension  northward  of  the  Americau 
continent. 

"  5.  The  completed  survey  of  the  American  coast  to 
the  south  and  west,  as  far  as  Cape  Sabine ;  thus  con- 
necting our  survey  with  the  last  determined  position  of 
Captain  Inglcfiold,  and  completing  the  circuit  of  the 
straits  and  bay  heretofore  known  at  their  southernmost 
opening  as  Smith's  Sound." 

The  view  of  the  open  sea  referred  to  was  obtained 
by  William  Morton,  from  a  precipitous  headland,— the 
furthest  point  attained  by  the  party,  in  latitude  81»  22* 
N.,  and  longitude  65"  35'  W.,  at  an  altitude  of  five 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  The  reasons  assigned  by 
our  author  for  regarding  it  an  iceless  open  sea  are  the 
following: 

"  1.  It  was  approached  by  a  channel  entirely  free 
from  ice,  having  a  length  of  fifty-two  and  a  mean  width 
of  thirty-six  geographical  miles. 

"  2.  The  coast-ice  along  the  water-line  of  this  channel 
had  been  completely  destroyed  by  thaw  and  water- 
action  ;  while  an  unbroken  belt  of  solid  ice,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  miles  in  diameter,  extended  to  the 
south. 

"3.  A  gale  from  the  north-east,  of  fifty-four  Lours' 
duration,  brought  a  heavy  sea  fron  that  quarter,  with- 
out  disclosing  any  drift  or  other  ico. 


I 


516 


DR.    KLINE'S  EXPEDITION. 


"4    Dark  nimbus  clouds  and  water-sky  invested  the 
•  north-eastern  horizon. 

"  5.  Crowds  of  migratory  birds  were  observed  throng- 
ing its  waters." 

There  is  much  in  Dr.  Kane's  wonderful  narrative  to 
remind  the  reader  of  the  story  of  old  William  Barentz, 
who,  two  hundred  and  fifty-nin?  years  ago,  wintered  on 
the  coast  of  Nova  Zembla.  His  men,  seventeen  in 
number,  broke  down  during  the  trials  of  winter,  and 
three  died,  just  as  of  the  eighteen  under  Dr.  Kane  three 
had  gone,  Barentz  abandoned  his  %'essel,  as  the  Ameri- 
cans abandoned  theirs,  took  to  his  boats,  and  escaped 
along  the  Lapland  coast  to  lands  of  Norwegian  civiliza- 
tion. The  Americans  embarked  with  sledges  and  boats 
to  attempt  the  same  thing.  They  had  the  longer  jour- 
ney, and  the  more  difficult  one,  before  them.  Barentz 
lost,  as  they  did,  a  cherished  comrade  by  the  wayside. 
But  one  resemblance  luckily  does  not  exist:  Barentz 
himself  perished  —  Dr  Kane  lived  to  write  an  account  of 
all  that  he  suffered  in  a  noble  cause.  No  mere  abstract 
of  his  narrative  can  give  an  idea  of  its  absorbing  inter- 
est. 

His  book  is  above  all  coinmon  praise,  oa  account  of 
the  simple,  manly,  unaffected  style  in  which  the  nar- 
rative of  arduous  enterprise  and  firfn  endurance  is  told. 
It  is  obviously  a  faithful  record  of  occurrences,  made  by 
a  man  who  was  quite  aware  that  what  he  had  to  tell 
needed  no  extraneous  embellishment.  Theie  is,  how- 
ever, BO  much  of  artistic  order  in  the  mind  of  the  nar- 
rator, that  the  unvarnished  record  has  naturally  shaped 
itself  into  a  work  of  distinguished  excellence  upon 
literary  grounds.  The  scenes  which  it  describes  are 
so  vividly  and  vigorously  brought  before  the  reader, 
that  there  are  few  who  sit  down  to  the  perusal  of  the 
narrative  but  will  fancy,  before  they  rise  from  the  eu 


^^M 

i' 

1 

1 

1 

'wt  iB 

1 

H 

1 

DR.  KANE'S  EXI'EDITION. 


519 


grossing  occupation,  their  own  flesh  paralyzed  by  the 
cold  one  hundred  degrees  greater  than  frost,  and  their 
blood  scurvy-filled  by  the  four  months'  sunlessness 

It  is  only  just  also  to  remark,  that  there  is  unmistak- 
able evidence,  in  the  pages  of  this  interesting  book,  that 
the  doctor  was  no  less  eminently  gifted  for  the  duties 
of  his  command  than  he  has  been  happy  in  his  relation 
of  its  history.  Every  step  in  his  arduous  path  seems  to 
have  been  taken  only  after  the  exercise  of  deliberately 
matured  forethought.  A  few  illustrations  must  be 
gleaned,  from  the  many  that  are  scattered  through  the 
pages  of  his  journal,  to  direct  attention  to  this  honorable 
characteristic.  When  the  doctor  had  formed  his  own 
resolution  to  remain  by  the  brig  through  the  second 
winter,  he  made  the  following  entry,  under  the  date  of 
August  22  :  "I  shctU  call  the  officers  and  crow  together, 
and  make  known  to  them,  very  fully,  how  things  look, 
and  what  hazards  must  attend  such  an  effort  as  has 
been  proposed  among  them.  They  shall  have  my  views 
unequivocally  expressed.  I  will  then  give  them  twenty- 
four  hours  to  deliberate  ;  and,  at  the  end  of  that  time, 
all  who  determine  to  go  shall  say  so  in  writing,  with  a 
full  exposition  of  the  circumstances  of  the  case.  They 
shall  have  the  best  outfit  I  can  give,  an  abundant  share 
of  our  remnant  stores,  and  my  good-by  blessing." 

On  the  6th  of  April  the  Esquimaux  auxiliary,  Hans, 
was  gone  to  Etah,  with  a  sledge,  to  seek  a  supply  of 
walrus-meat,  when,  as  we  have  already  stated,  William 
Godfrey  deserted  from  the  ship  ;  and,  the  commander 
suspected,  with  somd  sinister  design  upon  Hans  and  the 
sledge.  Dr.  Kane  then  wrote  :  "  Clearly,  duty  to  this 
poor  boy  calls  me  to  seek  him  ;  and,  clearly  duty  to 
those  dependent  men  calls  me  to  stay.  Long  and 
uncomfortably  have  I  pondered  over  +he8e  opposing 
calls,  b'lt  at  last  have  come  to  a  determination.     Hans 


}   • 


6:o 


DR.    KANE'S   EXPEDITION 


was  futhful  to  mo  ;  the  danger  to  him  is  Iinmincnt,  the 
diingcr  to  those  loft  behind  only  contingent  upon  my 
failure  to  return.  With  earnest  trust  in  that  same 
Supervising  Agency  which  has  so  often  before,  in 
graver  straits,  interfered  to  protect  and  carry  me 
through,  1  have  resolved  to  go  after  Hans." 

The  Esquimaux  lad  was  proof  both  against  the  vio- 
lence and  the  seduction  of  the  deserter.  The  com- 
mander found  him  invalided,  but  safe,  at  Etah.  Hans, 
however,  did  not  return  to  Fiskernaes  with  the  expedi- 
tion. His  fate  is  involved  in  romance.  Venus  Vietrix 
nas  a  representative  even  in  frost-land.  The  reader  must 
go  to  the  pages  of  Dr.  Kane  to  know  what  became  of 
Hans. 

When  the  preparations  for  the  final  escape  were 
under  consideration,  the  following  record  was  made  in 
the  doctor's  journal :  "  Whatever  of  oxecutive  ability  I 
have  picked  up  during  this  brain-and-body-wearying 
cruise  warns  me  against  initnature  preparation  or  vacil- 
lating purposes.  I  must  have  an  exact  discipline,  a 
rigid  routine,  and  a  perfectly  thought-out  organization. 
For  the  past  six  weeks  I  have,  in  the  intervals  between 
my  duties  to  the  sick  and  the  ship,  arranged  the  sched- 
ule of  our  future  course  ;  much  of  it  is  already  under 
way.  My  journal  shows  wha!  I  have  done,  but  what 
there  is  to  do  is  appalling."  Appalling  as  it  was,  the 
heroic  man  wiio  had  to  look  the  necessity  in  the  faco 
was  equal  to  the  position.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
it  was  "the  exact  discipline,  the  rigid  routine,  and  the 
pcrfei\'  Ihoucjht-out  organization,"  which  restored  the 
Bixteen  survivors  of  the  expedition  to  civilization  and 
their  homes. 


CHAPTER   XX. 


ACTIOH  or  CORORUg.  —  RBLISF  EXPEDITION  IN  8KARCD  or  DR.  RAIia. — 
HAltTSTEIN  TBK  COMMANDRR. —  ICR  ENCODNTRRS. — gRABCDBg.  —  TBI 
LOST    rOCJID.  —  NARRATIVE  BT  JOHN  K.  KANE.  —  ICEDRROS.  —  UIKDB.  — 

ERgOIHAUX.  —  THE   UEETINO. — TUB    RESOLDTB. iTOCNO   BT   AUBKKAH 

WHAliER!).  — IMTEKNATIONAL    C0DUTES1E9. 


The  apprehensions  caused  at  home,  by  the  detention 
of  Dr.  Kane  and  his  party,  produced  u  resolution  of 
Congress,  approved  February  3d,  1855,  authorizing  tlic 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  despatch  a  suitable  steamer 
and  tender  fov  the  relief  of  the  absent  voyagers.  The 
bark  Release  and  the  steamer  Arctic  were  accordingly 
procured  and  equipped,  Lieut.  Ilartstein  having  been 
appointed  to  the  command.  lie  was  accompanied  b'-  a 
brother  of  Dr.  Kane.  They  reached  Lievely,  I^le  of  Di  ,co, 
Greenland,  July  5th,  1855,  having  encountered  tl'j  first 
iceberg  in  latitude  51°  30'  north,  longitude  51°  4.yl'  west. 
With  seaman-like  generosity,  Ilartstein,  in  his  letter 
from  this  place  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  says  :  "  To 
avoid  further  risk  of  human  life,  in  a  search  so  extremely 
hazardous,  I  would  suggest  the  impropriety  of  making 
any  efibrts  to  relieve  us  if  we  should  not  return  ;  feeling 
confident  that  we  shall  be  able  to  accomplish  all  neces- 
Bary  for  our  own  release,  under  the  most  extraordinary 
circumstances." 

Entering  the  closely-packed  floe  of  Melville  Bay,  tbf 


%%    •■.■|;', 


t 

B22 


THE  KANE  RELIEF  EXPEDITION. 


relief  vessels  forced  a  passage  into  the  North  VVatei 
on  the  murni'ig  of  the  '  "^th  of  Au|ru8t.    Passing  in  good 
view  of  the   coast  from  Capo  York  to    VVolatonholme 
Ishind,  liartaloin,  in  the  stoamor,  examined  Ciipe  Alex- 
ander and  Sutherland  Island.     Passing  on  to  the  most 
north-weeteru  point  in  sight  (Point  Pclhani),  he  noticed 
a  few  stones  heaped  together,  which,  on  examination, 
gave  assurancfi  of  Kane's  having  been  there  ;  but  no 
clue  was  aflorded.    Pushing  on  to  latitude  18"'  32'  north, 
the  steamer  was  opposed  by  a  solid,  hummocky  field  of 
very  heavy  ice,  to  which  no  limit  was  visible,  inter- 
spersed as  i*  was  with  bergs,  all  diifting  to  the  south- 
ward.    Taking  now  a  retrograde  course,  they  examined 
Capo  Ilatherton  and  Littleton  Island,  and  finally  took 
refuge  under  a  projecting  point,  some  fifteen  miles  north- 
west of  Cape  Alexander.     Here  they  were  startled  by 
the  hail  of  human  voices.    Going  on  shore,  they  found  u 
party  of  Esquimaux,  and  among  them  various  articles 
that  must  have  belonged  to  Dr.  Kane  and  his  men.     An 
examination  of  the  most  intelligent  of  the  natives  led  to 
the  understanding  that  Dr.  Kane,  having  lost  his  vessel 
somewhere  to  the  north,  had  been  at  that  spot,  with  his 
Interpreter  (Carl  Petersen),  and   seve.   een  others,  in 
two  boats  and  a  sled,  and,  after  remaining  ten  days,  had 
gone  south  to  Upcrnavik. 

After  some  more  reconnoitring  of  the  coast,  Ilart^ 
stein,  in  the  Arctic,  found  himself  firmly  beset  by  the 
ice,  and  thought,  for  a  time,  he  was  in  winter  quarters  ; 
but,  after  twenty-four  hours'  heavy  battering,  he  got 
out.  After  having  made  nearly  the  whole  circuit  of  the 
northern  part  of  Baffin's  Bay,  with  the  exception  of  a 
deep  ice-locked  indentation  between  Capes  Cowbermere 
and  Isabella,  he  returned,  and,  in  company  with  the 
Release,  examined  Possession  Bay  and  Pond's  Bay, 
6ring  guns,  burning  blue-lights,  and  throwing  up  root- 


I  .^ 


MR.   J.    K.    KANE'S  NARRA TIVK. 


523 


etB.  llo  now  ilotcrminod  to  proceed  to  Uponuivik,  and, 
if  lie  did  nut  tlioro  find  tho  tnisslng  party,  to  procoiMl 
nort'i  again,  and  winter  in  tlio  ico.  This  was  soon  fonnd 
tc  bo  unnecessary.  At  Lievely  the  missinjj;  party  woro 
received  with  niaiiy  welcomoH  on  board  the  vesKols  sent 
for  their  relief.  We  will  leave  it  to  Mr.  John  K.  Kane, 
the  brother  of  the  doctor,  to  narrate,  in  hia  animated 
account  of  tlic  relief  expedition,  the  manner  and  the  inci- 
dents of  the  encounter.  The  article,  portions  of  which 
we  quote,  was  originally  contributed  to  Puhiam's  Mag- 
azinc;  and  conveys,  in  a  novel  and  spirited  style,  much 
interesting  description  and  information  in  regard  to  the 
latitudes  visited. 

At  Etah  the  relief  expedition  came  in  contact  with 
the  Esquimaux  who  had  befriended  Dr.  Kane  ;  and  Mr. 
J.  K.  Kane  selected  one  of  tho  most  forward  and  intel- 
ligent of  the  natives,  ;i  boy  named  Mayouk,  and  endeav- 
ored by  signs  to  get  some  information  from  him.  Wo 
present  the  following  in  Mr.  Kane's  own  words  : 

"  Mayouk  was  very  quick  in  understanding  us,  and 
equally  ready  in  inventing  modes  of  conveying  intelli- 
gence. Lead-pencil  and  paper  were  called  into  requisi- 
tion. I  took  out  my  note-book,  drew  a  rough  sketch 
of  a  brig,  and  showed  it  to  him.  lie,  at  once,  said 
'Dokto  Kaycn,'  and  pointed  to  the  north.  I  then  drew 
a  reverse  1  sketch,  and  pointed  south.  But  Mayouk, 
chakingtJiis  head,  began  to  sway  his  body  backward 
and  forward,  to  imitate  rowing  ;  then  said  Dokto 
Kayen  again,  and  pointed  south.  On  this,  I  drew 
a  whole  fleet  of  boats,  and  invited  him  to  point  out 
how  many  of  these  he  referred  to.  He  took  the  penci': 
from  my  hand,  and  altered  the  sterns  of  two  into  sharp- 
pointed  ones,  and  then  held  up  two  fingers,  to  indicate 
that  there  were  two  of  such.  I  now  drew  carefully  two 
whale-boats  ;  he  made  signs  of  approval,  as  much  as  to 


62-k 


MIC   J.   K.   KANL'a  NABIUTIva 


pny  that  wiia  the  thing  ;  ami,  iiicoiitiiiL'titly  sqimttiiig 
down,  iniitattvi  the?  voico  and  gcHturcH  of  a  tlnjr-iliivi'r, 
( lacknig  un  imaginary  wliip,  ami  crying  liup-hnp-iiui), 
at  tho  top  of  hin  voico.  Aftur  which  poiformanco,  ho 
laughed  irnmoderutoly,  uiiil,  again  puMiting  Bouth,  Haiti 
Dukto  Kayen. 

"  I  waH  not  certain  as  to  his  moaning ;  but,  on  my 
drawing  a  picture  of  a  dog-tcain,  ho  went  through  tho 
wiiolo  performance  afresh,  and  Hhowed  the  mont  extrav- 
agant Higns  of  delight  at  being  underHtood.  We  found 
out  how  many  dog-sledges  and  how  many  men  there 
were  of  tho  doctor's  party,  in  tiie  samo  manner.  Wo 
examined  several  other  natives  separately,  and  they  all 
tuld  the  same  story  ;  nor  could  we  confuse  them  as  to 
tho  ninnber  of  men  and  boats  ;  they  were  all  clear  on 
that  head.  Nineteen,  they  made  it,  neither  more  nor 
less.  We  tried  our  best  to  make  them  say  that  tho 
hoats  had  gone  north,  and  the  vessel  south  ;  but  with- 
out success.  Mayouk,  on  one  occasion,  being  hard 
pressed,  stopped  his  ears,  so  as,  at  least,  to  secure  him- 
self from  being  supposed  to  assent  to  what  he  had  nut 
learning  or  language  enough  to  controvert. 

"  At  length,  a  bright  thought  struck  him.  lie  ran 
down  to  the  beach,  and  got  two  white  stones  ;  laid 
them  on  the  ground,  and,  pointing  to  the  floating 
masses  of  ice  in  the  bay,  signified  to  ua  that  tlicHe  rep- 
resented the  ice.  Next,  he  took  a  common  clay  pipo 
of  Mr.  Lovell's,  and,  pointing  to  the  north,  said,  vomiak 
Booak,  or  big  ship,  '  vomiak  sooak,  Dokto  Kayen.'  lie 
next  pushed  the  pipo  up  between  the  pebbles,  and  then 
pressed  them  together  till  the  pijie  was  crushed.  Lastly, 
he  pointed  to  tho  south,  and  began  imitating  the  rowing 
of  a  boat,  the  cracki?ig  of  whips,  and  the  hup-hupping 
of  a  dog-driver,  vociferating,  at  intervals,  '  Dokto  Kayen, 
Vie  I  he  !  he  t '     We  tried  our  best  to  find  uut  how  long 


'('  ! 


^3^ 


I;  -'^''  §jRM*^&:A_Mff»\ 


The  Dead  Motiieu  and 


The  Dead  Motiieu  and  her  Cuus. 


I 


MR    J.    K.    KANE'S  NAP^UTTVE. 


525 


it  had  been  since  the  Dokto  Kayens  had  loft  them  for 
It  was  evident  that  this  was  their  name  for  the  whole 
party  ;  but  we  could  not  make  them  understand      Thev 
would  only  tell  us  that  their  guests  had  been  with  them 
for  some  time.     This  they  did  by  pointing  to  the  south, 
and  then  following  the  track  of  the  sun  till  it  reached 
the  north  ;  then,  after  stretching  themselves  out  on  the 
ground,  and  closing  their  eyes,  as  if  in  sleep,  would 
again  point  to  the  south,  rise  up,  go  down  to  the  lake 
and  pretend  to  wash  their  faces.     The  gesture  lay  in 
pretence  only,  however,  for  they  seemed  to  regard  the 
vvaslung  of  the  Dokto  Kayens  as  a  remarkable  religious 
observance.     It  certainly  was  not  one  which  had  been 
practically  ingrafted  into  their  own  formulary  of  good 
works.     These  unsophisticated  children  of  the  frost-land 
never  wash  off  dirt,  for  the  simple  reason  that  of  dirt, 
as  such,  they  have  no  conception  or  idea. 

"Improvidence  is  another  trait  of  these  'fresh  chil- 
dren of  impulse.'  We  were  at  their  village  as  late  as 
the  19th  of  August.  Yet,  although  the  auks  were  flying 
round  them  in  such  quantities  that  one  man  could  have 
been  able  to  catch  a  thousand  an  hour,  they  had  not 
enough  prepared  for  winter  to  last  two  days  They 
were  all  disgustingly  fat,  and  always  eating, -perhaps 
an  average  ration  of  eighteen  pounds  per  diem,— yet 
they  had  lost  seven  by  starvation  during  the  last  winter 
though  relieved,  as  far  as  we  could  make  it  out,  by  the 
Dokto  Kayens. 

"They  suffer  dreadfully  from  cold,  too  ;  yet  there  is 
an  abundance  of  excellent  peat,  which  they  might  dig 
during  the  summer.  They  know  its  value  as  fuel  and 
are  simply  too  lazy  'o  stack  it.  The  little  auk,  which 
forms  their  principal  food,  may  be  said  also  to  be  their 
only  fuel.  Indeed,  it  quite  fills  the  place  which  the 
seal  holds  among  the  more  southern  Esquimaux.     TheJi 


626 


MR.  J.   K.    KANE'S  NARRATIVE. 


clothes  are  lined  with  ita  skins,  they  burn  the  fat,  and. 
Betting  aside  the  livers  and  hearts,  to  be  dried,  and  con 
Bunied  as  bonbons  during  the  winter,  they  eat  the  meat 
and  intestines  cooked  and  raw,  both  cold  and  at  blood 
heat. 

"  They  are  very  hospitable  ;  the  minute  we  arrived, 
all  hands  began  to  catch  birds  and  prepare  them  for  us. 
Tearing  off  the  skins  with  their  teeth,  they  stripped  the 
breasts  to  be  cooked,  and  presented  us  with  the  juicy 
entrails  and  remaining  portions  to  eat  raw,  and  stay 
our  appetites.  The  viands  did  not  look  inviting  to  us, 
who  had  witnessed  tlieir  preparation  ;  but  they  appeared 
80  hurt  at  our  refusing  to  eat,  that  we  had  to  explain 
that  it  was  not  cooked  but  raw  birds  we  wanted.  This 
was  satisfactory.  They  set  out  at  once  to  catch  some 
for  us  ;  and  in  a  few  moments  three  of  them  were  ou 
their  way  down  to  our  boat  loaded  with  birds. 

"  Though  all  the  natives  had  told  us  that  Dr.  Kane's 
party  had  gone  southwards  after  leaving  their  settle- 
ment, still  we  were  far  from  certain  that  tliey  Iiad  con- 
tinued their  progress  in  that  direction,  and  Captain 
Ilartstein  was  for  some  time  in  doubt  as  to  the  course 
which  we  ought  to  pursue  ;  whether  we  should  return 
at  once  to  Upernavik  by  our  old  track,  or  run  across 
the  bay  and  examine  its  western  .oast.  He  finally 
determined  on  ue  latter,  believing  thut,  if  Dr.  Kane 
and  his  party  had  gone  down  the  eastern  coast,  they 
would  by  this  time  either  have  been  lost  in  Melville 
Bay,  or  safely  arrived  at  Upernavik  ;  while,  on  tlie 
contrary,  if  they  had  tried  to  reach  the  English  fleet  in 
Lancaster  Sound,  being  ignorant  of  its  desertion,  they 
miglit  be  there  now  in  a  starving  condition. 

"  We  reached  Capi.  Alexander  without  any  incident 
worthy  of  note,  and,  after  searciiing  its  barren  rocks  to 
nopurpose,  built  a  cairn,  and  in  it  deposited  the  record 


MR    J.   K.   KANE'S  N.UIRATIVE. 


627 


^f  our  wai  t  of  success.  We  next  ran  down  to  Suthe»« 
land  Island,  took  up  our  now  useless  fiag-stufi;  and  tore 
down  the  cuirn  we  had  placed  there  on  our  way  up 
There  was  a  poor  little  white  fox  watching  us  from  the 
.'ocks  above,  while  we  were  at  work,  evidently  wonder- 
ing what  it  all  meant.  He  came  so  close  that  we  could 
have  knocked  him  down  with  a  boat-hook,  but  we  let 
mm  alone;  we  were  not  short  of  provisions,  and  had 
no  time  to  convert  him  into  a  specimen. 

"  We  pushed  on  through  rain  and  fog  to  Hakluyt 
Island,  where  we  found  our  comrades  of  the  Release, 
and  spent  a  few  hurried  hours  in  their  company. 

"  The  red  snow,  that  Dr.  Kane  bus  described  in  his 
narrative,  was  abundant  here ;  and  wherever  between 
the  ledges  of  the  rock  there  was  a  chance  lor  soil,  a 
tiny  httle  horseradish  sprang  up  ambitiously  through 
the  irost,  with  leaves  no  oigger  than  your  thumb-nail. 
Ihe  miniature  plant,  flower,  root,  and  all,  might  have 
nlled  a  very  moderate  tea-cup. 

"It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  tell  of  our  efforts  to  find' 
Captain  Inglefield's  Esquimaux  settlement  in  Whale 
Sound.  It  was  the  old  story  of  fog  and  drizzle,  ice  and- 
sleet.  We  gave  it  up,  and,  taking  the  Release  in  tow,, 
bent  our  course  for  Lancaster  Sound. 

"But  the  ice,  the  everlasting  ice!     We  were  more 
than  two  hundred  miles  off  when  it  caught  us.     It  was 
heavier  than  any  wo   had   seen   even  in  Melville  Bay 
For  some  days  it  held  us  like  flies  in  amber,  in  spite  of 
tails,  with  now  and  then  a  puff  to  fill  them,  and  all  the 
Bteam  that  Newell  could  raise  in  his  boiler.     It  was 
indeed,  a  meroy  that  a  gale  caught  us  at  last,  or  we 
might  have  been  there  still.     We  drove  before  it,  the 
ice  keeping  us  company,  as  if  loth  to  lose  us,  and,  find- 
ing that  we  could   not  reach    Cape   Isabella,  mtxde  a 
detour  to  Possession  Bay. 


it  m 


628 


MR,  J.   K.   KANE'S  NARRATIVE, 


■Pi 


1 


"  Pond's  Bay,  as  it  ia  called,  seemed  to  all  of  us  loth' 
iiig  else  I)iit  an  extension  of  Admiralty  Jnlet.  We  kept 
along-  its  north  coast  for  thirty-five  niiles,  and  could 
see,  periiaps,  forty  miles  further,  but  without  finding  its 
westernmost  shore,  A  visit  to  an  Esquimaux  village, 
some  twenty  miles  up  the  bay,  was  the  only  incident. 
The  men,  with  a  single  exception,  were  out  on  their 
hunting-parties  ;  but  the  women  were  there,  as  commu- 
nicative in  their  unknown  dialect  as  any  we  had  met  of 
the  grosser  sex.  They  were  certainly  no  beauties,  and 
their  costume  was  a  little  extravagant  even  for  the 
Esquimaux  fashions,  as  we  had  seen  them.  They  had 
their  faces  tattooed  with  lampblack,  in  a  set  of  dotted 
lines,  radiating  from  the  corners  of  the  mouth  ;  and  their 
very  long  wide  boots  were  hitched,  awkwardly  enough, 
by  a  loop  to  the  waistband  of  their  seal-skin  trousers, 

"They  appeared  to  be  of  a  superior  race  to  the 
Greenland  natives.  They  were  larger  and  stronger, 
their  kayaks  were  better  built,  and  they  had  much  more 
roomy  torits. 

"  The  whole  of  Pond's  Bay  showed  one  dreary,  in- 
hospitable coast-line.  We  were  all  of  us  glad  when 
our  commander  gave  the  order  to  make  for  the  eastern 
coast  of  Baffin's  Bay. 

"  Wc  had  an  eight-knot  breeze,  and  were  not  more 
than  two  iiundred  miles  from  Upernavik.  There  was 
every  chance  of  the  wind  continuing,  so  that  we  confi- 
dently expected  to  reach  that  port  in  the  course  of  the 
week.  We  thought  we  were  to  the  southward  of  the 
pack  ;  and  the  heavy  sea,  which  made  us  all  sea-sick 
after  our  long  exemption  from  rough  water,  strengthened 
this  conviction.  But  we  were  mistaken.  The  very 
next  day  it  was  before  us,  an  impenetrable  barrier. 
There  was  no  help  for  it ;  we  had  to  run  further  to  the 
south  —  how  much  further  it  was  hardly  worth  while  to 


MR.  J.   K.   KANES  NARllATIVE. 


629 


guess.  It  was  no  very  diflScult  matter,  you  would 
think,  to  run  along  the  edge  of  the  ice  till  we  came  to 
the  end  of  it,  and  then  run  across.  But  this  ice  had  all 
the  irregularities  of  a  coast :  large  inlets  and  bays  run- 
ning into  it,  and  capes  projecting  just  where  you  do  not 
expect  to  meet  them  ;  and,  over  and  over  again,  after 
rur.iiing  for  a  whole  day,  just  as  we  were  sure  we  had 
reached  its  southern  boundary,  we  would  find  ourselves 
in  a  cul-dc-sac,  with  the  ice  on  both  sides  of  us.  At 
last  we  came  to  a  dead  halt.  We  were  fairly  in  the 
pack  —  it  was  before  us,  behind  us,  and  on  both  sides 
of  us. 

"  Day  after  day  passed,  and  we  found  we  were  drift- 
ing to  the  south,  fairly  glued  in.  There  are  only  two 
incidents  that  I  speak  of  in  or  about  this  pleasant  little 
travel.  One  was  just  as  it  began.  It  was  a  meeting 
with  an  ancient  whaler,  the  Eclipse,  of  Peterhead,  with 
a  jolly  old  Captain  Gray,  who  insisted  on  all  hands 
making  a  trial  of  a  regular  Scotchman's  hospitality,  and 
tossed  half  a  dozen  hams  after  us  into  the  boat,  when 
we  refused  to  take  the  half  of  his  cabin  stores.  The 
other  was  the  gale  that  ended  it.  It  was  loss  pleasant 
at  the  time  ;  but,  like  some  other  things  that  I  have 
met  with  in  this  world,  its  effects  were  better  than  its 
promise.  What  a  night  it  was  !  The  bark  ran  into  an 
iceberg,  and  came  very  near  being  lost.  She  fired 
thirteen  guns  for  assistance,  but  the  crashing  and  grind- 
ing was  so  tremendous  that,  though  we  were  not  tnree 
quarters  of  a  mile  off,  and  the  wind  was  blowing  directly 
towards  us,  we  did  not  hear  one  of  them.  I  never  shall 
forget  the  melancholy  figure  she  presented  on  joining 
us  next  morning.  We  felt  quite  a  glow  of  sympathy 
for  the  poor  Release,  till  Captain  Ilartstein's  hailing  our 
steamer  with  the  information  that  our  cutwater  looked 
34 


B'' 


!!!»■■ 


i 


Jlia 


J_Ji 


530 


MR.  J     K.    KANE'S  NARHAITVE. 


like  a  prize-fighter's  nose.  We  then  remembered  that 
we,  too,  had  a  niglit  of  it. 

"  After  this  gale  we  had  little  or  no  more  trouble 
with  the  ice  ;  one  or  two  trifling  detentions  of  a  few 
days  brought  us  to  the  open  water.  We  had  drifted  so 
far  to  the  south  that  Lievel}'  was  nearer  than  Upernavik, 
and  Captain  1,'artstcin  determined  to  put  in  there.  Wo 
had  a  heavy  gale  the  night  after  we  left  the  ice  ;  but  so 
glad  were  we  all  to  get  clear  of  it,  that  I  heard  no  com- 
plaints about  rough  weather.  It  cleared  away  beauti- 
fully towards  morning,  and  we  were  all  on  the  deck, 
adnn'ring  the  clear  water,  and  the  fantastic  shapes  of 
the  water-washed  icebergs.  All  hands  were  in  high 
spirits  ;  the  gale  had  blown  in  the  right  direction,  and 
in  a  few  hours  we  should  be  in  Liovcly.  The  rocks  of 
its  land-locked  harbor  were  already  in  sight.  We  were 
discussing  our  news  by  anticipation,  when  the  man  in 
the  crow's  nest  cried  out,  '  A  brig  in  the  harbor  ! '  and 
the  next  nn'nute,  before  we  had  time  to  congratulate 
each  other  on  the  chance  of  sending  letters  home,  that 
slie  had  hoisted  American  colors  —  a  delicate  compli- 
ment, we  thought,  on  the  part  of  our  friends,  the 
Danes. 

"  I  believe  our  captain  was  about  to  return  it,  when, 
to  our  surprise,  she  hoisted  another  flag,  the  veritable 
one  which  had  gone  out  with  the  Advance,  bearing  the 
name  of  Mr.  Henry  Grinnell.  At  the  same  moment, 
two  boats  were  seen  rounding  the  pt)iiit,  and  pulling 
towards  us.  Did  they  contain  our  lost  friends  ?  Yes  ; 
the  sailors  had  settled  that.  'Those  are  Yankees,  sir; 
no  Danes  ever  feathered  their  oars  that  way,'  said  an 
old  whaler  to  me. 

"  For  thosH  wJio  had  friends  among  the  missing  party, 
the  few  minutes  that  followed  were  of  bitter  anxiety  ; 
for  the  men  in  tKe  boats  were  long-bearded  and  weather 


MR.  J.    K.  KANE'S  NARRATIVE. 


531 


beaten  ;  they  had  strange,  wild  costumes  ;  there  was 
no  possibility  of  recognition.  Dr.  Kane,  standing  up- 
right in  the  stern  of  the  flrst  boat,  with  his  spy-glass 
elung  round  his  neck,  was  the  first  identified  ;  then  the 
big  form  of  Mr.  Brooks  ;  in  another  monsent  all  hands 
of  thorn  were  on  board  of  us. 

"It  was  curious  to  watch  the  effects  of  the  excite- 
ment in  diflerent  people,  — the  intense  quietude  of  some, 
the  boisterous  delight  of  others  ;  how  one  man  would 
become  intensely  loquacious,  another  would  do  nothing 
but  laugh,  and  a  third  would  creep  away  to  some  out- 
of-the-way  corner,  as  if  he  were  afraid  of  showing  iiow 
he  felt.  Uow  hungry  they  all  were  for  news,  and  how 
eagerly  they  tore  open  the  home  letters  ;  most  of  them, 
poor  i'ellows,  had  pleasant  tidings,  and  all  were  pro- 
pared  to  make  the  best  of  bad  ouep..  We  were  in  the 
harbor,  with  a  fleet  of  kayaks  dancing  in  welcome 
around  and  behind  us,  before  the  greetings  were  half 
ended,  for  they  repeated  themselves  over  and  over 
again. 

"  Our  old  friend,  Mr.  Olrik,  was  with  the  newcomers, 
and  as  happy  as  the  rest.  Ilis  h  )spitality,  when  wo 
reached  the  shore,  was  absolutely  boundless  ;  and  his 
house  and"table  were  always  at  our  strvice.  Altogether, 
I  never  passed  three  more  delightful  days  than  those 
last  days  at  Lievely.  Balld  every  night ;  feasts  and 
junketings  every  day  ;  and,  pleasantcst  of  all,  those 
dear  home-like  tea-tables,  with  shining  tea-urn  and  clear, 
white  sugar,  round  which  we  sat,  waiting  for  the  water 
to  boil,  and  talking  of  Russia  and  the  Czar,  and  the 
world  outside  the  Circle  ;  while  Mrs.  Olrik  would  look 
up  from  her  worsted-work,  and  the  children  pressed 
round  me  to  see  the  horses  and  dogs  I  was  drawing  for 
them.  It  was  enough  to  make  one  forget  his  red  flannel 
shirt  and  rough  Arctic  rig  ;  Melville  Bay  and  the  pack 


m ' 


r.r 


I^Mi 

1 

w 

--'S 

■ 

')32 


MR.  J.  K.  KANE'S   NAliilATIVE. 


■ocmed  fiibles.  The  Daiiiah  doctor,  too,  arrived  from 
FiHkernaes,  a  very  iiitelligont  goiitlcmun,  and  wo  talked 
away  bravely  to  Iiim  in  bad  Latin.  He  brought  i8  % 
present  of  remdoer-moat,  —  a  now  dish  for  some  of  ub, 
tasting  like  a  cross  between  Virginia  rnoiintiiin  mutton 
and  our  reniuiylvauia  red  deer. 

But  our  stay  in  Lievely  ended.     The  propeller  got 
up  steam,  and,  taking  our  bark  and  the  Danish  brig 
Marianne  in  tow,  steamed  out  of  the  harbor.     All  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  wore  on  tbo  shore  to  see  tho 
last  of  US.    Our  visit  had  been  as  memorable  an  incident 
to  them  as  to  ourselves.     Where  ten  dollars  is  a  largo 
marriage  dower.  Jack's  libciaiity  of  expenditure  seemed 
absolutely  royal.     There  wore  moistened  eyes  among 
them,  for  they  arc  essentially  kind-hearted  ;  and  even 
tho  roar  of  our  cannon,  in  answer  to  tho  Danish  salute, 
though  it  resounded  splendidly  among  the  hills,  was 
scarcely  lieeded,  as  they  stood,  with  folded  arms,  watch- 
ing us  disappear  in  the  distance.    We  carried  Mr.  Olrik 
quite  out  to  sea  before  we  bade  him  good-by  ;  and  it 
was  not  until  the  next  morning  that  the  Marianne  cast 
loose. 

"  Wo  reached  home  without  any  incident  worthy 
of  note,  except  that  the  Esquimaux  dogs  we  had  on 
board  did  nothing  but  howl  during  the  whole  voyage, 
—  an  amiable  peculiarity,  which  still  characterizes  the 
single  specimen  of  which  I  am  at  present  the  happy 
possessor.     There  he  goes  — I  hear  him  now." 


The  return  of  Hartstein  with  the  survivors  of  Kane's 
expedition  closed  for  a  time  the  record  of  the  search  for 
Sir  John  Franklin. 

Never  was  there  such  a  disastrous  state  oi  tijings  in 
the  Arctic  regions  :  six  ships  loft  in  the  ice !  Tho 
Investigator  at  Mercy  Bay,  the  Eesolute  and  Intrepiu 


FINI-rxOI   OF  THE  UE80LUTE. 


S33 


«l  Mt'lvillo  IhIuiiU,  tlio  AsHistance  and  Pioneer  iu  Wcl 
llKgton  Cliannol,  and  the  Advance  in  Sniitli's  Sound,  to 
b6  added  to  the  Erebus  and  Terror,  wliicli  there  was 
ro^Hon  to  believe  had  been  lelt  years  before  soniewhoro 
Id  tho  Btrait  of  James  Romh.  The  Arctic  archipelago 
w*fl  studded  with  abandoned  ships! 

None  conid  have  imagined  tiiat  any  of  these  gallant 
8)>ip8  would  ever  carry  sail  again  ;  or  tliat  we  might  not 
truly  say  of  each  of  tliein,  in  tho  words  of  Dr.  Kane. 
"Tho  ice  is  round  her  still," 

But  of  one  of  these  vessels  there  is  a  further  story  to 
tell ;  and,  as  it  recounts  a  kindly  interchange  of  courte- 
sies  between  the  two  nations  which  vied  with  each  other 
in  heroic,  thougli  fruitless  eflorts,  to  rescue  tho  missing 
navigators,  it  will  form  a  pleasant  interlude  in  our  narra- 
tive. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1855,  the  whaler  George 
Henry,  Captain  Buddington,  of  New  London,  Connecti- 
cut, was  drifting  along,  beset  by  the  ice,  in  Baffin's  Bay, 
when  one  morning  the  captain,  looking  through  his 
glass,  saw  a  large  ship  some  nft(  n  or  twenty  miles  dis- 
tant, apparently  working  her  way  towards  him.  Day 
after  day,  while  helplessly  imprisoned  in  the  pack,  ho 
watched  her  coming  nearer  and  nearer.  On  the  seventh 
day,  the  mate,  Mr.  Quail,  and  three  men,  were  sent  to 
find  out  what  she  was. 

After  a  hard  day's  journey  over  the  ice,  —jumping 
from  piece  to  piece,  and  pushing  themselves  along  on 
isolated  cakes,  —  they  were  near  enough  to  see  that  sho 
was  lying  on  her  larboard  side,  firmly  imbedded  in  the 
ice.  They  shouted  lustily,  as  soon  as  they  got  within 
hailing  distance  ;  but  there  was  no  answer.  Not  a  soul 
was  to  bo  seen.  P'or  one  moment,  as  they  came  along- 
side, the  men  faltered,  with  a  superstitious  feeling,  and 
hesitated  to  go  on  board.      A  moment  after,  they  had 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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m.s 


'^ 


634 


FINDING   OF  THE  RESOLUTE. 


i  <?&:a 


II '' 


'd 


climbed  over  the  broken  ice,  and  stood  on  deck.  Every 
thing  was  stowed  away  in  order  —  spans  hauled  up  and 
lashed  to  one  side,  boats  piled  together,  hutches  calked 
down.  Over  the  helm,  in  letters  of  brass,  was  inscribed 
the  motto  "  England  expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty." 
But  there  was  no  man  to  heed  the  warning. 

The  whalemen  broke  open  the  companion-way,  and 
descended  into  the  cabin.  All  was  silence  .and  darkness. 
Groping  their  way  to  the  table,  they  found  matches  and 
candles,  and  struck  a  light.  There  were  decanters  and 
glasses  on  the  table,  chairs  and  lounges  standing  around, 
books  scattered  about  —  everything  just  as  it  had  been 
last  used.  Looking  curiously  from  one  thing  to  another, 
wondering  what  this  deserted  ship  might  bo,  at  last  they 
came  upon  tiio  log-book.  It  was  endorsed,  "  Bark  Res- 
olute, 1st  September,  1853,  to  April,  1854."  One  entry 
was  as  follows:  "II.  M.  S.  Resolute,  llth  January, 
1854,  nine  a.  m.  —  Mustered  by  divisions.  People  tak- 
ing exercise  on  deck.     Five  p.  m.  — Mercury  frozen." 

This  told  the  story.  It  was  Captain  Kellett's  ship, 
the  Resolute,  which  had  brokeu  away  from  her  icy 
prison,  and  had  thus  fallen  into  the  hands  of  our  Yan- 
kee whalemen. 

While  the  men  were  making  tiiese  discoveries,  night 
came  on,  and  a  gale  arose.  So  hard  did  it  blow  that  they 
were  compelled  to  remain  on  board,  and  for  two  days 
these  four  were  the  whole  crew  of  the  Resolute.  It 
was  not  till  19th  September  that  they  returned  to 
their  own  ship,  and  made  their  report. 

All  these  ten  days,  since  Captain  Buddington  had 
first  seen  her,  the  vessels  had  been  nearing  each  other. 
On  the  19th  he  boarded  her  himself,  and  found  that  in 
her  hold,  on  the  larboard  side,  was  a  good  deal  of  ice. 
Her  tanks  had  burst,  from  the  extreme  cold ;  and  she 
was  full  of  water,  nearly  to  her  lower  deck.   Everything 


[jo.jj 


f'::'|ft- 


FINDING  OF  THE  RESOLUTE. 


53; 


that  could  move  from  its  place  had  moved.  Eivcrything 
between  decks  was  wet ;  everything  that  would  muuld 
was  mouldy.  "  A  sort  of  perspiration"  had  settled  on 
the  beams  and  ceilings.  The  whalemen  made  a  fire  in 
Kellett's  stove,  and  soon  stcrted  a  sort  of  shower  from 
the  vapor  with  which  it  fllled  the  air.  The  Kesolute 
had,  however,  four  fine  force-pumps.  For  three  days 
the  captain  and  six  men  worked  fourteen  hours  a  day 
on  one  of  these,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  finding  that 
they  freed  her  of  water,  —  that  she  was  tight  still. 
They  cut  away  upon  the  masses  of  ice  ;  and  on  the  23d 
of  September,  in  the  evening,  she  freed  her.sc'lf  from  her 
encumbrances,  and  took  an  even  keel.  This  was  off  the 
west  shore  of  Baffin's  Bay,  in  latitude  61".  On  the  short- 
est tack,  she  was  twelve  hundred  miles  from  where  Kel- 
lett  left  her. 

There  was  work  enour'i  still  to  be  done.  The  rudder 
was  to  be  sliipped,  the  rigging  to  be  made  taut,  sail 
to  be  set ;  —  and  it  proved,  by  the  way,  that  the  sail  on 
the  yards  was  much  of  it  still  serviceable,  while  a  suit  of 
new  linen  sails  below  were  greatly  injured  by  moisture. 
In  a  week  more,  she  was  ready  to  make  sail.  The  pack 
of  ice  still  drifted  with  both  ships  ;  but,  on  the  21st  Octo- 
ber, after  a  long  north-west  gale,  the  Resolute  was  freo 

Capt.  Buddington  had  resolved  to  bring  her  home. 
He  had  picked  ten  men  from  the  George  Henry,  and 
with  a  rough  tracing  of  the  American  coast,  drawn  on  a 
sheet  of  foolscap,  with  his  lever  watch  and  a  quadrant 
for  his  instruments,  he  squared  off"  for  New  London. 
A  rough,  hard  passage  they  had  of  it.  The  ship's  bal- 
last was  gone,  by  the  bursting  of  the  tanks ;  she  was 
top-heavy  and  undermanned.  He  spoke  a  British  whal- 
ing-bark, and  by  her  sent  to  Captain  Kellett  his 
epaulets,  and  to  his  own  owners  news  that  he  was 
coming.     They  had  heavy  gales  and  head  winds,  and 


I 


638 


RETURN  OF  THE   RESOLUTE. 


were  driven  as  far  down  as  the  Bermudas.  The  watci 
loft  in  tiie  ship's  tanlis  was  brackish,  and  it  needed  all 
the  soasoin'ng  which  the  ship's  chocoKato  would  give  to 
make  it  drinkable.  "  P'or  si.xty  hours  at  a  time,"  says 
the  captain,  "  I  frequently  had  no  sleep  ;  "  but  his  por- 
severance  was  crowned  with  success,  at  last,  and,  on 
the  night  of  the  23d  of  December,  he  made  the  light  off 
the  harbor  from  which  he  sailed,  and '  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing,  the  24th,  dropped  anchor  in  the  Tham'js,  opposite 
New  London,  and  ran  up  the  British  ensign  on  the  shorn 
masts  of  the  Resolute. 

Her  subsequent  history  is  fresh  in  the  minds  of  our 
readers.     The  British  government  generously  released 
all  their  claim  in  favor  of  the  salvors.    Thereupon,  Con- 
gress resolved  that  the  vessel  should  be  purchased  and 
restored  as  a  present  to  her  majesty  from  the  Am  rican 
people.     This  design  was  fully  carried  out.     The  Reso- 
lute was  taken  to  the  dry-dock  in  Brooklyn,  and  there 
put  in  complete  order.    Everything  on  board  —  even  the 
smallest  article  — was  replaced  as  nearly  as  possible  in 
its  original  position  ;  and,  at  length,  having  been  manned 
and  officered  from  the  United  States  navy,  and  placed 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Ilartstein,  the  Resolute, 
stanch  and  sound  again,  from  stem  to  stern,   "with 
sails  all  set  and  streamers  all  afloat,"  once  more  shaped 
her  course  for  England,  where  she  arrived  in  Decern l)er, 
1856,  and  was  presented  to  Queen  Victoria  with  appro- 
priate ceremonies. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

LADY  FBANKLIN  ROT  DISHBABTENED.  —  VOTAOB  OF  THE  FOX.— MORE 
BKL1C8  DISCOVERF.D.  —  A  EKCOBD  FOUND.  —  THE  MYSTERY  SOLVED.  — 
VOYAGE    OF    FRANKLIN.  —  COMCLUSION. 

Notwithstanding  the  discouraging  nature  of  the  dis- 
coveries made  by  Rae  and  Anderson,  the  opinion  was 
entertained  in  England  that  some  members  of  Franklin's 
party  might  still  be  living.  The  propriety  of  sending 
out  further  expeditions  was  discussod  in  the  public  jour- 
nals, and  found  many  zealous  advocates.  A  petition, 
headed  by  Lady  Franklin,  and  signed  by  numerous  influ- 
ential persons,  including  some  distinguished  Arctic  oflB- 
cers,  was  presented  to  the  British  Admiralty,  urging  it 
to  make  one  final  and  exhaustive  search.  But  the 
response  was  unfavorable.  The  government  had  de- 
cided that  the  fate  of  Franklin  and  his  men  was  suffi- 
ciently ascertained,  and  that  any  attempt  at  further 
discoveries  would  be  a  useless  risk  of  life  and  money. 

Having  appealed  in  vain  to  the  government,  the  inde- 
fatigable Lady  Franklin  determined  to  prosecute  the 
search  with  her  own  resources.  A  small  screw  steamer, 
called  the  Fox,  with  three  masts,  schooner-rigged,  was 
accordingly  fitted  out  at  her  expense,  manned  by  twenty- 
five  men,  and  placed  under  the  command  of  Capt.  F.  L. 
M'Cliutock,  an  officer  already  distinguished  in  Arctic 
adventure.  She  sailed  from  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  early 
in  July,  1857;  and  on  the  25th  of  the  same  month  was 
oflF  Baal's  River,  Greenland,  from  which  place  Capt. 
M'Clintock  sent   home  his  first   dcripatches  to   Lady 


*!<;i 


510 


LADY   FRANKLIN'S  EXPEDITION. 


% 


■  i 


Fmnklin.     After  touching  at  Lievely  and  Wiiigat  Strait, 

the  Fox  reached  Upernavik  on  the  6th  of  Aogust,  and 

iiaving  obtained  a  supply  of  coal,  thirty  doga,  and  an 

Esquimaux  driver,  proceeded  on  iier  voyage.     But  ou 

the  18th  of  August  her  progress  was  stopped  by  the  ice 

in  Melville  Bay,  from  which  time  up  to  the  25th  of  April, 

1858,  she  remained  drifting  in  the  pack.     While  thus 

beset  she  drifted  up  witiiiu  twenty-four  miles  of  Cape 

York,  then  far  to  the  westward,  and  thence  southward 

from  lat.  75i  N.  to  634  — in  all  119t  geographical  miles. 

On  the  28th  of  April  she  reached  Ilolsteinliorg,  whore 

Capt.  M'Clintock,  not  disheartened  by  the  failure  of  the 

first  year's  cruise,  immediately  made   preparations  to 

renew  the  attempt. 

"On  the  8th  of  May,"  says  Capt.  M'Clintock,  in  his 
official  report,  "our  voyage  was  recommenced.  God- 
haven  and  Upernavik  having  been  visited,  Melville 
Bay  was  entered  early  in  June,  and  we  crossed  to  Cape 
York  by  the  26th.  Here  some  natives  were  communi* 
cated  with.  They  immediately  recognized  Mr.  Peter- 
sen, our  interpreter,  formerly  known  to  them  in  the 
Grinnell  expedition  under  Dr.  Kane.  In  reply  to  our 
inquiries  for  the  Esquimaux  dog-driver  Hans,  left  behind 
from  the  Advance  in  1855,  they  told  us  that  he  was 
residing  at  Whale  Sound.  Had  he  been  there,  I  would 
most  gladly  have  embarked  him,  as  his  longing  to  return 
to  South  Greenland  continues  unabated. 

"  It  was  not  until  the  27th  of  July  that  we  reached 
Pond's  Inlet,  owing  to  a  most  unusual  prevalence  of  ice 
in  the  northern  portion  of  Baffin's  Bay.  Without  steam 
power  we  could  have  done  nothing.  Here  only  one  old 
woman  and  a  boy  were  found,  but  they  served  to  pilot 
us  up  the  inlet  for  twenty-five  miles,  when  we  arrived  at 
their  village.  For  about  a  week  we  were  in  constant 
communication  with  these  friendly  people.     They  com- 


APRIVAL  AT  BEECHEY   ISLAND. 


641 


municato  overland  every  winter  with  the  tribes  at  Igloo 
Ilk.  They  all  knew  of  Parry's  ships  having  wintered 
there  in  1822-3,  and  had  heard  of  late  years  of  Dr.  Rao's 
visit  to  Repulse  Bay  ;  but  nothing  whatever  respecting 
the  Franklin  expedition  had  come  to  their  knowledge, 
nor  had  any  wrecks  reached  thoir  shores  within  the  last 
thirty  years. 

"Within  Pond's  Inlet  the  natives  told  us  the  ico 
decays  every  year,  but,  so  long  as  any  remains,  whalea 
abound.  Several  large  whales  were  seen  by  us,  and  we 
found  among  the  natives  a  considerable  quantity  of 
whalebone  and  many  narwhal's  horns,  which  they  were 
anxious  to  barter  for  knives,  files,  saws,  rifles,  and  wool. 
They  drew  us  some  rude  charts  of  the  inlet,  showing 
that  it  expands  into  an  extensive  channel  looking  west- 
ward into  Prince  Regent's  Inlet. 

"We  reached  Beechcy  Island  on  the  llth  of  August, 
and  landed  a  handsome  marble  tablet,  sent  by  Lady 
Franklin,  bearing  an  appropriate  inscription  to  the  mem- 
ory of  our  lost  countrymen  in  the  Erebus  and  Terror. 
Having  embarked  some  coals  and  stores,  and  touched 
at  Cape  Ilotham,  we  sailed  down  Peel  Strait  for  twenty- 
five  miles  on  the  llth,  but  finding  the  remainder  of  this 
channel  covered  with  unbroken  ice,  I  determined  to 
make  for  Bellot  Strait. 

"  On  the  I9th  August  we  examined  into  the  supplies 
remaining  at  Port  Leopold,  and  left  there  a  whaleboat 
brought  from  Cape  Hotham,  to  aid  us  in  our  retreat, 
should  we  be  obliged  eventually  to  abandon  the  Fox. 
Prince  Regent's  Inlet  was  unusually  free  from  ice.  Very 
little  was  seen  during  our  run  down  to  Brentford  Bay, 
which  we  reached  on  the  20th  of  August. 

"  Bellot  Strait,  which  communicates  with  the  western 
sea,  averages  one  mile  in  width,  by  seventeen  or  eigh- 
teen miles  in  length.     At  this  time  it  was  filled  with 


64a 


WINTER  QUARTEM. 


Hi 


drift  ice,  but  as  the  Hoaaon  advanced  became  perfectly 
clear.  Its  Hliorcs  arc  in  many  places  faced  with  lofty 
granite  clifTH,  and  some  of  the  adjacent  hillH  rise  1600 
feet ;  the  tides  are  very  strong,  running  six  or  seven 
knots  at  the  springs.  On  tlio  6th  of  September,  we 
passed  through  Bellot  Strait  without  obstruction,  and 
secured  tlio  ship  to  fixed  ice  across  its  western  out- 
let. From  iiere,  until  the  27th,  when  I  deemed  it  neces- 
sary to  retroat  into  winter  quarters,  we  constantly 
watched  the  movements  of  the  ice  in  the  western  sea  or 
channel.  In  mid-channel  it  was  broken  up  and  drifting 
about ;  gradually  the  proportion  of  water  increased, 
until  at  length  the  ice  which  intervened  was  reduced  to 
three  or  four  miles  in  width.  But  this  was  firmly  held 
cist  by  nurnercins  islets,  and  withstood  the  violence  of 
the  autumn  gales.  It  was  tantalizing  beyond  descrip- 
tion thus  to  watch  from  day  to  day  the  free  water,  which 
we  could  not  reach,  and  which  washed  the  rocky  shore 
a  few  miles  to  the  southward  of  us. 

"Our  wintering  position  was  at  the  east  entrance  of 
Bellot  Strait,  in  a  snug  harbor,  which  I  have  named 
Port  Kennedy,  after  my  predecessor  in  these  waters, 
the  commander  of  one  of  I^ady  Franklin's  former  search- 
ing expeditions.  Although  vegetation  vvaa  tolerably 
abundant,  and  our  two  Ksqniniaux  hunters,  Mr.  Poter- 
Ben,  and  several  sportsmen,  were  constantly  on  the 
alert,  the  resources  of  tlio  country  during  eleven  and  a 
half  n)ontli8  only  yielded  us  eight  reindeer,  two  bears, 
eighteen  seal,  and  a  few  water-fowl  and  ptarmigan." 

Diiring  the  winter,  which  was  unusually  cold  and 
stormy,  tlu'  following  arrangements  were  made  for  car- 
rying out  the  intended  plan  of  search.  To  Lieut.  Hob- 
son  was  allotted  the  search  of  the  western  shore  of 
Boothia  to  the  magnetic  pole,  and  from  Gateshead  Isl- 
and  westward    to    Wynniatt's   furthest      Capt.   Allen 


BLEDQE  JOURNEYR 


643 


Young,  Biiiling-mastor,  was  to  trace  flie  eliorc  of  Princ* 
of  Wttlos'  Lund,  from  Lieut.  Hrownu'H  furtliCBt,  and  al8o 
tooxaraii.o  tho  coast  from  Bcllot  Strait  northward  to 
Sir  James  Rohh'h  furtliest ;  wliile  Cupt.  M'Clintock  in 
person  was  to  visit  Marshal  Island,  and  in  so  doing  pur- 
posed to  complete  tho  circuit  of  King  William's  Island. 
Hardly  had  the  long  darkness  of  tho  Arctic  winter 
passed  away,  when,  in  spite  of  a  fearful  temperature  of 
71  degrees  below  freezing  point.  Captains  Young  and 
M'Clintock  set  out  from  tiie  ship  on  preliminary  jour- 
neys, with  tho  view  of  making  depots  of  provisions  pre- 
paratory  to  the  search  above  marked  out.    Capt.  Young 
carried  his  depot  across  to  Prince  of  Wales' Land,  while 
M'Clintock,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Peterson,  the  interpi-e- 
tcr,  with  two  sledges  drawn  by  dogs,  went  southward 
toward  the  magnetic  pole.    On  the  28th  of  February  the 
latter  party  reached  a  spot  named  Cape  Victoria,  on  the 
west  side  of  Boothia  Felix.    Here  they  met  some  natives. 
The  poor  creatures  were  at  first  very  much  ahirmod,  but 
became  reassured  by  tho  conciliatory  manners  of  Mr. 
Petersen.     The  fact  of  tlieir  having  j)leii(y  of  wood  for 
Blcdges  in  their  possession,  convinced  the  gallant  cap- 
tain that  they  knew  something  of  tho  ships  he  was  in 
search  of;  and  as  soon  as  their  confidence  was  gained, 
he  obtained  from  them  tho  information  that  many  years 
previously  a  ship  had  been  crushed  by  the  ice  off  the 
northern  point  of  a  great  island,  which  agreed  with  the 
position  of  King  William's  Island,  but  that  all  her  peo- 
pie  had  landed  in  safety  and  gone  away  to  the  Great 
Fish  River,  and  there  died  of  starvation.    Tho  wood  that 
had  attracted  M'Cliutock's  attention  they  had  procured 
from  a  boat  which  the  "starving  white  men"  had  left 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Great  River. 

Such  was  their  tale.     Jt  explained  in  a  measure  how 
a  party  of  Europeans  had  reached  Montreal  Island,  at 


544 


KSQUDIACX  RKI'ORTR. 


If. 
t 

rii. 

El'  ' 


*•* 


tho  oiitrAHCo  of  tlio  Grout  FiHh  Kivor,  ah  rrpoit(Ml  by  Mr 
AiidorHon,  after  his  jounn'y  down  tliftt  Htrcmn  in  1868 : 
ftiid  it  iiocouiitod,  nt  any  riito,  for  orio  of  tlictwo  tiiiBHitig 
Bhips.  Wc  (Min,  tlicrcfori ,  iipi)r('(;itttn  tho  at)xi«!(y  with 
wliich  tlio  gallmit  loader  of  tho  little  bund  on  bmird  the 
Fox,  after  remaining  four  days  in  communication  with 
the  EHquimaux,  and  procuring  from  them  many  relics, 
hastened  back  to  his  craft,  and  made  ready  to  dcHpatch 
tho  filedgo  parties  on  u  search  which  subsequently 
proved  so  Buccessfid. 

"On  the  2d  of  April,  1859,"  says  Capt.  M'CIintock, 
"  our  long-projectod  spring  journeys  were  commencod. 
Lieut,  llobson  accompanied  mo  as  fur  as  Capo  Victoria. 
Each  of  us  had  a  sledge  drawn  by  four  men,  and  an  aux- 
iliary sledge  drawn  by  six  dogs.  This  was  all  the  force 
wc  could  muHtcr. 

"  Before  separating  wo  saw  two  Esquimaux  families, 
living  out  upon  the  ico  in  snow  huts,  from  whom  we 
learned  that  a  second  ship  had  been  seen  off  King  Wil- 
liam's Island,  and  that  she  driftid  ashore  in  tho  fall  of 
tho  same  year.  From  this  ship  they  had  obtained  a  vast 
deal  of  wood  and  iron.  I  now  gave  Lieut.  llobson 
directions  to  search  for  tho  wreck,  and  to  follow  up  any 
traces  ho  might  find  upon  King  William's  Island. 

"Accompanied  by  my  own  party  and  Mr.  Petersen, 
I  marched  along  tho  cast  shore  of  King  William's  Isl- 
and, occasionally  passing  deserted  snow  huts,  but  with- 
out meeting  natives  till  the  8th  of  May,  when,  ofT  Capo 
Norton,  we  arrived  at  a  snow  village  containing  about 
thirty  inhabitants.  They  gathered  about  us  w^ithout  the 
slightest  appearance  of  fear  or  shyness,  although  none 
had  ever  seen  living  white  people  before.  They  were 
most  willing  to  communicate  all  their  knowledge  and 
barter  all  their  goods,  but  would  have  stolen  everything 
had  they  not  leen  very  closely  watched.     Many  more 


A  SKELETON  FOUND. 


Ml 


Telici  of  our  couiitryrnua  wore  obtained  from  thcBo  peo- 
ple ;  we  could  not  carry  uwuy  ull  wo  iniglit  have  pur- 
ohaHud.  Tlioy  pointed  to  tlio  inlut  wu  had  croHHod  the 
day  bt'furo,  and  told  uu  that  ono  day's  march  up  it, 
And  thunco  four  days  overland,  i)rought  them  to  the 
wreck.  None  of  them  had  been  there  uince  1857-8,  at 
which  time  they  said  but  little  remained,  their  country- 
men having  carried  away  almoHt  everything. 

"  MoHt  of  our  information  wan  received  from  an  intel- 
ligent old  woman.  She  aaid  it  v/m  in  the  fall  of  the 
year  that  the  ship  was  forced  auhoro  ;  many  of  the  white 
men  dropped  by  the  way  an  they  went  towards  the 
Great  Kiver  ;  but  this  was  only  known  in  the  winter  fol- 
lowing, when  their  bodies  were  discovered. 

"  They  all  assured  us  that  we  would  find  natives  upon 
the  south  shore,  at  the  Great  River,  and  some  few  at  the 
wreck  ;  but  unfortunately  this  was  not  the  case.  Only 
one  family  was  met  with  off  Point  Booth,  and  none  at 
Montreal  Island,  or  any  place  stibsoqucntly  visited. 

"  Point  Ogle,  Montreal  Island,  and  Barrow  Island, 
were  searched,  without  finding  anything  exc<'pt  a  few 
Bcraps  of  copper  and  iron  in  an  Esquimaux  hiding-place. 

"Recrossing  the  strait  to  King  William's  Island,  we 
continued  the  examination  of  its  southern  shore,  with- 
out success,  until  the  21:th  of  May,  when,  about  ten 
miles  eastward  of  Capo  Ilerschell,  a  bleached  skeleton 
was  found,  around  which  lay  fragments  of  European 
clothing.  Upon  carefully  removing  the  snow,  a  small 
pocket-book  was  found,  containing  a  few  letters.  These, 
Although  much  decayed,  may  yet  be  deciphered.  Judg^ 
ing  from  the  remains  of  his  dress,  this  unfortunate  young 
man  was  a  steward  or  officer's  servant,  and  his  position 
exactly  verified  the  Esqiiimaux's  assertion  that  thej 
dropped  as  they  walked  along. 

"  On  reaching  Cape  Ilerschell,  next  day,  we  oxai» 


■^■"■^■M 


b46 


RECORD  DISCOVERED 


ined  Simpson's  Cairn,  or  rather  vliat  remains  of  it, 
which  is  only  four  feet  high,  +lie  central  stones  having 
been  removed,  as  if  by  men  seeking  something  within  it. 
My  impression  is,  that  records  were  deposited  there  bj 
the  .-etreating  crews,  and  removed  by  the  natives." 

In  the  mean  while  still  more  important  discoveries 
had  been  made  by  Lieut.  Ilobson.     After  parting  from 
M'Ciintock,  on  the  28th  of  April,  at  Cape  Victoria,  he 
made  for  Cape  Felix,  the  northernmost  point  of  King 
William's  Land.     At  a  short  distance  westward  of  it  he 
found  a  very  large  cairn,  and  close  to  it  three  small 
tents,  with  blankets,  old  clothes,  and  other  relics  of  a 
shooting  or  a  magnetic  station  ;  but,  although  the  cairn 
was  dug  under,  and  a  trench  dug  all  round  it  at  a  dis- 
taiice  of  ten  feet,  no  record  was  discovered.     A  piece 
of  blank  paper,  folded  up,  was  found  in  the  cairn,  and 
two  broken  boit.les,  which  may,  perhaps,  have  contained 
records,  lay  beside  it,  among  some  stones  which  had 
fa'len  from  off  the  top.     The  most  interesting  of  the 
articles  discovered  here,  including  a  boat's  ensign,  wjre 
brought  away.     Ab-iut  two  miles  further  to  the  south- 
west a  small  cairn  was  found,  but  neiiher  records  nor 
relics  obtained.     About  three  miles  north  of  Point  Vic- 
tory a  second  small  cairn  was  examined,  but  only  a 
broicen  pickaxe  and  empty  can^ster  found. 

On  the  6th  of  May  Lieut.  ITobson  pitched  his  tent 
beside  a  large  cairn  upon  Point  Victory.*  Lying  among 
some  loose  stones  which  had  fallen  from  the  top  of  this 
cairn,  was  found  a  small  tin  case,  containing  a  record, 
which  gave  the  fiiMt  authentic  and  definite  information 
as  to  the  fat«  of  the  Fianklin  exf  .idiiion.  This  most 
interesting  docrment  is  a  sheet  of  paper  furnished  by 


•  ao  nalleJ  by  Sir  .Tamos  Uoas,   in  1830.     It  was  the  farthest  point 
•••ohe-J  on  King  William's  Land  by  that  indefatigable  Arciio  IravellM. 


RECORD   mSCOVLRl'D. 


o47 


the  British  Admiralty,  on  wliidi  is  printed,  in  five  difier- 
eut  languages,  the  iulluwing  formula: 

"  Whoovur  fiiiua  thia  paper  is  lequestud  to  forward  it  to  the  Seoreturj 
•f  tho  Admiralty,  London,  wiih  a  noU  of  the  time  and  place  at  which  1/  wu 
found  ;  or,  i.'raore  convenient,  to  deliver  it  for  that  purpose  to  the  Brit- 
ish Consul  at  tho  nearest  port." 

The  record  is  written  on  the  margin  of  this  paper,  and 
consists  of  two  separate  entries.    The  first  is  as  follows : 

"2a  May,  1847.  H.  M.  Ships  Erebus  and  Terror  wintered  in  the  ice, 
in  lat.  70^  5'  N.,  Ion.  98^  23'  W.  Having  wiutoied  in  lb46-7  *  at  Uoochey 
Island,  in  lat.  74-'  ii'  28"  N.,  Ion.  !)1^  3'J'  13"  W.,  after  having  ascended 
Wellington  Channel  to  lat.  77-^,  and  returned  by  the  west  side  of  Corn- 
wallis  island. 

SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN,  Commanding  the  Expedition. 
All  well. 

Part/,  consisting  of  2  offieors  and  6  men,  left  the  ships  on  Monday,  24Ui 
May,  1847.  G.  Goue,  Lieutenant. 

Chas.  F.  Db8  Voiux,  Mate." 

From  this  it  appears  that  the  ships  were  then  safe  ai 
their  winter  quarters  in  the  ice,  and  the  party  all  well. 
But  tho  (Iher  entry,  which  is  dated  nearly  a  year  later, 
tells  a  diflerent  tale.     It  runs  thus : 

"25th  April,  1846.  H.  M.  Ships  Terror  and  Erebus  wore  deserted 
on  the  22d  April,  5  leagues  N.  N.  \V.  of  this,  having  been  beset  since  12th 
Sept.,  1846.  The  ofiBcers  und  crow,  consisting  of  105  souls,  under  tho 
oommand  of  Capt.  F.  R.  Jl.  Crozier,  landed  here,  in  lat.  G9'"  33'  42",  Ion. 

9jj3  4'  1"^  and  Btart  on  to-morrow,  2()tb,  for  Back's  Fish  River." "Thii 

paper  was  found  by  Lieut.  Irving  under  tho  cairn  supposed  to  have  been 
built  by  Sir  James  Ross  in  1831,  4  miles  to  the  north-west,  where  it  had 
been  deposited  by  the  late  Commander  Gore  in  May  (June),  1847.  Sir 
James  Ross's  pillar  has  nut,  however,  been  found,  and  the  paper  has  been 
transferred  to  this  position,  which  is  tl.at  in  which  Sir  J  Ross's  pillar  wai 
«r«cted.  Sir  John  Franklin  ^ied  on  the  11th  June,  1847  ;  and  the  total 
loss  by  deaths  in  the  expedition  has  been,  to  this  date,  9  oQiccrs  and  15 
men. 

JAMES   FITZJAMES,  Captain  H.  M.  S.  Erebus. 
F.  R.  M.  CROZIER,  Captjiin  and  Senior  Officer." 

*  Thii  is  a  mistake.    The  ships  wintered  at  Beechey  Island  in  184(-4 


548 


MORE  DISCOVEREES 


A  vast  quantity  of  clothing  and  stores  of  alt  sorts  lay 
Btrewed  about,  as  if  here  every  article  was  thrown  away 
which  could  possibly  be  dispensed  with  :  pickaxes,  snov* 
els,  boots,  cooking  utensils,  iron-work,  rope,  blocks, 
canvas,  a  dip  circle,  a  sextant  engraved  "  Frederic 
Hornby,  R.  N.,"  a  small  medicine-chest,  oars,  &c. 

A  few  miles  southward,  across  Back  Bay,  a  second 
record  was  found,  having  been  deposited  by  Lieut.  Gore 
and  M.  Des  Vceux,  in  May,  1841.  It  afforded  no  addi- 
tional information. 

Lieut.  Ilobson  continued  his  journey  southward  along 
the  western  shore  of  King  William's  Land,  but  made  no 
further  discovery  until  he  reached  lat.  69°  9'  N.,  and 
long.  99°  27'  W.,  when  he  noticed  what  appeared  to  ha 
two  sticks  peering  above  the  frozen  snow.    Struck  with 
their  singularity  in  this  barbarous  region,  he  was  led  to 
examine  them  more  closely,  and  was  rewarded  by  find- 
ing that  these  "  sticks  "  were  in  fact  the  awning  stanch- 
eons  of  a  boat  buried  in  the  snow ;  and  on  clearing 
around  it,  the  ghastly  spectacle  of  two  human  skeletons 
presented  itself     One  of  these  lay  in  the  after  part  of 
the  boat,  under  a  pile  of  clothing  ;  the  other,  which  was 
much  more  disturbed,  probably  by  animals,  was  found 
in  the  bow.     Five  pocket  watches,  a  quantity  of  silver 
spoons  and  forks,  and  a  few  religious  books,  were  alsc 
found,  but  no  journals,  pocket-books,  or  even  names 
upon   any  articles  of  clothing.      Two   double-barreled 
guns  stood  upright  against  the  boat'"  side,  precisely 
as  they  had  been  placed  eleven  years  before.     One  bar- 
rel in  each  was  loaded  and  cocked.     There  was  ammu 
nitiou  in  abundance,  also  thirty  or  forty  pounds  of  choc- 
olate, and  some  tea  and  tobacco.     Fuel  was  not  want- 
ing ;  a  drift  tree  lay  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  boat. 
It  appears  that  this  boat  had  been  intended  for  the 
aacent  of  the  Fish  River,  but  was  abandoned  apparently 


!i  ■ 


RETURN  TO  THE  SHIP. 


649 


upon  a  return  journey  to  the  ships,  the  sledge  upon 
\rhich  she  was  mounted  being  pointed  in  that  direction. 
She  measured  twenty-eight  feet  in  length  by  seven  and 
a  half  feet  wide,  was  most  carefully  fitted,  and  made  as 
light  as  possible,  but  the  sledge  was  of  solid  oak,  and 
almost  as  heavy  as  the  boat. 

Having  prosecuted  his  search  until  within  a  few  days' 
march  of  Cape  Herschell,  the  southernmost  point  of  King 
William's  Land,  without  finding  any  trace  of  the  wrecked 
ships  or  of  natives,  Hobson  set  out  on  his  return  to  the 
Fox,  taking  with  him  from  the  boat  such  relics  as  could 
conveniently  be  carried,  and  leaving  there  full  informa- 
tion of  his  discoveries  for  the  use  of  Capt.  M'Glintock, 
when  he  should  arrive  at  that  point. 

The  latter  oflScer,  making  the  circuit  of  the  island 
from  the  eastern  side,  proceeded  northward  from  Capo 
.  Herschell  over  the  ground  already  searched  by  Lieut. 
Hobson. 

"Soon  after  leaving  Cape  Herschell,"  he  says,  "the 
traces  of  natives  became  less  numerous  and  less  recent, 
and  after  rounding  the  west  point  of  the  island  they 
ceased  altogether.  This  shore  is  extremely  low,  and 
almost  utterly  destitute  of  vegetation.  Numerous  banks 
of  shingle  and  low  islets  lie  ofi"  it,  and  beyond  these 
Victoria  Strait  is  covered  with  heavy  and  impenetrable 
packed  ice." 

He  came  upon  the  boat  above  described,  and  there 
found  the  notice  of  Ixobson's  discoveries.  On  the  5th 
of  June  he  reached  Point  Victory,  without  having  found 
anything  further.  The  clothing  and  other  articles  were 
again  examined  for  documents,  note-books,  «S:c.,  without 
success,  a  record  placed  in  the  cairn,  and  another  buried 
ten  feet  due  north  of  it. 

On  the  19th  of  June  he  reached  the  ship,  five  days 
after  the  arrival  of  Lieut.  Hobson.     On  the  28th  of  June 


650 


LAST   VOYAGE  OF  FRANKLIN. 


'!  .if 


Capt  Young  and  his  party  returned,  having  completed 
their  portion  of  the  searcii,  by  wliich  tlie  insularity  of 
Prince  of  Walos'  Land  was  determined,  and  the  coast 
line  intervening  between  the  extreme  points  reached  by 
Lieutenants  Osborne  and  Browne,  discovered;  also  be- 
tween Bellot  Strait  and  Sir  James  Ross's  furthest  in 
1849,  at  Four  River  Bay. 

Fearing  that  his  provisions  might  not  last  out  the 
requisite  period,  Capt.  Young  sent  back  four  of  liis  men, 
and  for  forty  days  journeyed  on  tlu'ough  fogs  and  gales, 
with  but  one  man  and  tiie  dogs,  building  a  snow  hut 
each  night.  But  i'ew  men  could  stand  so  long  a  con- 
tinuance of  labor  and  privation,  and  its  effect  upon  Capt. 
Young  was  painfully  evident. 

All  were  now  on  board  again.  The  summer  proved  a 
warm  one  ;  and  on  the  9th  of  August  they  were  able  to 
start  on  their  homeward  voyage.  By  the  aid  of  her 
steam  power  the  ship  was  forced  up  to  Fury  Point. 
There  fur  six  days  she  lay,  closely  beset,  when,  a  change 
of  wind  removing  the  ice,  her  voyage  was  continued, 
almost  without  further  interruption,  to  Godliaven,  in 
Disco,  where  she  arrived  on  the  27th  of  August.  On 
the  21st  of  September,  1859,  the  Fox  arrived  in  Eng- 
land,—  having  accomplished  fully  the  object  of  her  voy- 
age, with  the  loss  of  only  three  men. 


Gathering  up  the  fragments  of  information  which 
have  been  obtained  from  time  to  time  by  the  various 
searching  expeditions,  we  are  now  enabled  to  present, 
in  a  connected  form,  all  that  is  known  —  and  probably 
all  that  ever  will  be  known  —  concerning  the  last  voy- 
age of  Sir  John  Franklin. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Erebus  and  Terror, 
which  left  England  in  May,  1845,  were  last  seen  on  the 
26th  of  July,  moored  to  an  iceberg,  in  BaflBn's  Bay, 


i'iilL 


LAST  VOYAGE  OF  FIL\NKLIN. 


651 


awaiting  an  opportunity  to  enter  Lancaster  Sound. 
They  must  have  succeeded  in  this  soon  after ;  for  they 
reached  Becclicy  Island  in  time  to  explore  Wellington 
Channel  belbre  going  into  winter  quarters.  Franklin's 
instructions  from  the  Admiralty  were  to  make  to  the 
south-west  from  Cape  Walker.  Probably  the  ice  blocked 
his  advance  in  that  direction  ;  and  so,  Wellington  Chan- 
nel being  open,  ho  determined  to  lose  no  time,  but  to 
attempt  a  northern  passage  around  the  Parry  Islands. 
Pressing  then  to  the  northward,  he  ascended  Welling- 
ton Channel  as  far  as  lat.  11°  N. ;  where,  instead  of 
reaching,  as  he  hoped,  an  open  sea,  he  found,  doubt- 
less, like  the  expeditions  which  have  since  followed  the 
same  track,  a  wide  expanse  of  water,  perfectly  choked 
up  with  ice,  extending  to  the  westward  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach.  Baffled  thus,  his  only  course  was  to 
return  to  the  southward.  In  so  doing  he  passed  along 
the  west  side  of  Cornwallis  Island,  thus  proving  that  a 
channel  exists  between  Cornwallis  and  Bathurst  Islands, 
and  entered  Barrow's  Strait,  at  a  point  nearly  due  north 
of  Cape  Walker,  in  which  direction  alone  he  was  now 
constrained  to  seek  a  route  whereby  to  reach  the  sea 
off  the  coast  of  North  America. 

But  by  this  time  the  autumn  must  have  been  well 
advanced.  The  nights  were  getting  rapidly  longer, 
Further  progress  that  season  was  impossible.  The  Ere- 
bus and  Terror  accordingly  bore  away  for  Beechey  Isl- 
and, and  there  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  companions 
passed  the  winter  of  1845-6.  Three  men  died  during 
their  stay  at  this  place.  But  this  was  no  unusual 
degree  of  mortality,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  the  party  had  to  endure  more  than  the  ordinary 
hardships  of  an  Arctic  winter.  They  were  remarkably 
well  provided  and  organized  ;  and  it  was  undoubtedly 
with  unabated  ardor  and  in  a  high  state  of  eflBciency 


552 


LAST  VOYAGE  OF  FRANKLIN. 


i  ly 


that  they  broke  out  of  their  winter  quarters,  as  soon  m 
the  season  would  allow,  and  pursued  their  adventurous 
voyage,  as  we  suppose,  down  Peel  Sound.  This  must 
have  been  at  some  time  between  the  3d  of  April  and  1st 
of  September,  1846.  Probably  it  was  in  July  or  August. 
It  can  hardly  have  been  so  late  as  September,  for  on  the 
12th  of  that  month  wo  find  the  Erebus  and  Ten„v  beset 
far  to  the  southward,  in  lat.  70°  8',  Ion.  98°  23'.  In  that 
position,  which  is  about  twelve  miles  due  north  of  Cape 
Felix,  they  passed  the  winter  of  1846-7. 

One  of  those  impenetrable  ice-streams  which  flow 
down  from  the  vast  unknown  sea,  lying  north  and  west 
of  the  Parry  Islands,  passes  between  Melville  and 
Banks's  Lauds,  and,  impinging  with  fearful  force  upon 
the  exposed  western  shores  of  Prince  of  Wales's  Land 
and  the  islands  across  Barrow's  Straits,  is  fairly  blocked 
up  in  the  narrows  about  King  William's  Land.  Sir 
James  Ross,  standing  on  Cape  Felix,  in  May,  1830, 
remarked  with  astonishment  the  fearful  nature  of  this 
oceanic  ice.  He  mentions  that  in  some  places  the  pres* 
sure  had  driven  the  floes  inland  half  a  mile  beyond  the 
highest  tide  mark ! 

Such  were  the  terrible  winter  quarters  of  those  lone 
barks  and  their  gallant  crews  ;  and  if  that  season  of 
monotony  was  trying  to  them  in  Beechey  Island,  where 
they  could  in  some  measure  change  the  scene  by  trav- 
elling in  one  direction  or  the  other,  how  infinitely  more 
BO  it  must  have  been  with  nothing  around  them  but  ice- 
hummock  and  floe-piece,  with  the  ships  constantly  sub- 
jected to  pressure  and  ice-nip,  and  often  in  danger  of 
being  engulfed  in  some  awful  tempest,  when  the  ice- 
fields would  rear  and  crush  one  again"*  *^e  other,  under 
that  tremendous  pressure  from  the  nortn-wet. 

Yet,  in  the  midst  of  all  these  perils,  by  tue  aia  04 
•very  expedient  of  labor  and  amusement  which  Sir  Joho 


LAST  VOYAGE  OF  FRANKLIN. 


652 


Franklin's  great  experience  could  suggest,  the  whole 
party  were  maintained  in  health  and  vigor  while  the 
dark  winter  months  wore  away.  They  were  doubtless 
sustained  and  encouraged  by  the  knowledge  that  they 
were  now  only  ninety  miles  from  Cape  Ilerschell,  and 
that  a  sledge  party  could  reach  it  in  the  spring  before 
the  navigation  would  be  open.  Once  there,  and  satis- 
fied  that  the  expedition  was  really  in  the  channel  lead- 
ing to  Dease  and  Simpson's  Straits,  and  the  north-west 
passage  would  be  in  fact  discovered  ;  for  Franklin  would 
then  be  on  familiar  ground,  as  he  had  explored  nearly 
all  the  coast  of  North  America  westward  from  that,  point 
years  before. 

It  was  piobably  with  this  object  in  view  that  Lieut. 
Graham  Gore  and  Mr.  P.  Des  Voeux,  mate,  accompanied 
by  six  men,  started  for  the  land  on  the  24th  of  May, 
ISlt.  Four  days  afterwards  they  stopped  at  a  cairn 
built  by  Sir  James  Rose  on  King  William's  Land,  and 
left  a  record  there,  which  lells  us  that  when  they  left 
the  ships  all  on  board  were  well.  From  its  very  brev- 
ity we  may  infer  that  they  anticipated  no  disaster,  and 
had  not  bated  one  jot  of  heart  or  hope.  All  were  doubt- 
less looking  forward  to  a  continuation  of  their  voyage 
as  soon  as  the  summer  sun  should  bring  its  force  to  bear 
upon  the  ice.  Lieut.  Gore  and  his  companions  probably 
traversed  the  short  distance  to  Cape  Herschell  in  a 
week  ;  and  we  can  fancy  them  casting  one  glance  upon 
the  long-sought  shores  of  America,  ard  hastening  back 
to  share  their  delight  with  those  imprisoned  in  the  ships. 

Alas  I  before  their  return  sorrow  had  fallen  heavily 
upon  the  hearts  of  those  hardy  explorers.  Summer  had 
come.  The  ice  around  the  Erebus  and  Terror  was  still 
unbroken,  but  the  strength  of  their  veteran  commander 
had  melted  away.  Sir  John  Franklin,  now  more  than 
sixty  years  old,  the  best  years  of  whose  life  had  been 


654 


LAST  VOYAGE  OP  FRANKLIN. 


vm 


Bpent  in  encountering  Arctic  perils,  had  yielded  to  them 
at  last.  He  died  on  the  11th  of  June,  1847.  Before 
the  toilsome  search,  which  his  faithful  wife  urged  on 
w'ith  such  self-sacrificing  devotion,  had  oven  commenced, 
be  was  at  rest. 

"llis  lost  gea-fight  was  fought, 
His  wroath'^of  glory  won." 

Before  the  dark  shadow  of  coming  disaster  had  set- 
tled upon  his  expedition  ;  while  the  great  object  of  hia 
life  seemed  almost  accomplished  ;  surrounded  by  his 
comrades,  with  all  the  comforts  the  ships  could  afford, 
he  died,  and  was  released. 

"  Not  for  him  that  hour  of  terror. 
When,  the  long  ioe-battle  o'er, 
In  the  sunless  day  hia  comrades 
Deathward  trod  the  Polar  shore. 

Spared  the  cruel  cold  and  famine. 
Spared  the  fainting  heart's  despair, 

What  but  that  could  mercy  grant  hiw  t 
What  but  that  has  been /icr  prayer  T" 

The  death  of  their  beloved  loader  must  have  made  a 
mournful  vacancy  in  the  little  band  on  board  the  Erebus 
and  Terror.  But  they  were  not  men  to  be  disheartened. 
Capt.  Crozier  succeeded  to  the  command,  and  the  daily 
routine  of  duty  went  on  steadily  as  before.  So  the  sum- 
mer passed,  and  autumn  came.  The  prospect  before 
them  began  to  look  dismal  indeed.  Scurvy  was  already 
showing  itself  among  the  crews,  their  provisions  would 
fail  before  anotiior  year,  winter  was  close  at  hand,  and 
Btill  they  were  drifting  helplessly  in  the  ice-pack. 

Slowly  they  drifted  to  the  south.  Ten  miles,  twenty 
miles,  thirty  miles  were  passed  over  ;  only  sixty  miles 
of  ice  remained  between  them  and  the  sea  oil' the  Amer- 
ican coast ;  one  narrow  lane  of  open  water  would  have 
■aved  them  ;  but  not  a  foot  of  open  water  was  in  sight 


A.N  Esquimau  Settlement, 


[oSSj 


Pt 


LAST  VOYAGE  OP  FRANKLIN. 


557 


At  last  iho  ico-stroara  ceased  to  drift.     F.ftoen  milei 
N.  N.  VV.  of  Point  Victory,  the  dread  winter  of  1847-8 
—with  disouHO,  and  cold,  and  want,  and  darkness,-^ 
closed  around  tlioao  forlorn  and  dosperato  men. 

An  escape  by  land  was  now  their  only  hope,  and 
every  eflbrt  was  made  during  the  winter  to  get  all  things 
in  readiness  to  start  at  the  earliest  practicable  moment. 
When  that  time  arrived,  eight  officers  and  twelve  men," 
one  after  another,  had  shared  the  happy  fate  of  Sir  John 
Franklin.     The  survivors,  one  hundred  and  five  in  num- 
ber, a  wan,  half-starved,  scurvy-stricken  crew,  piled  up 
their  sledges  with  all  descriptions , of  gear,  and  on  the 
22d  of  April,  1818,  under  the  lead 'of  Captains  Crozier 
and  Fitzjames,  took  their  way  to  King  William's  Land. 
Tiiey  were  three  days  traversing  the  intervening  dis- 
tance  of  fifteen  miles,  and  the  sad  conviction  was  already 
pressing  upon  them  that  they  had  overrated  their  phys- 
ical strength.     A  few  miles  north-west  of  Point  Victory 
they  found  the  record  deposited  by  Lieut.  Gore.     The 
hand  that  wrote  it  was  now  cold  in  death.    With  a  hand 
almost  as  cold,  Capt.  Fitzjames  proceeded  to  write  round 
its  margin  those  few  but  graphic  words  which  tell  all 
we  know  of  this  last  sad  page  in  their  history.     The 
record,  thus  completed,  was  placed  in  a  cairn  built  on 
the  assumed  site  of  James  Ross's  pillar,  at  Point  Vic- 
tory.    There  the  party  were  to  rest  for  the  night ;  and 
on  the  morrow,  the  26th  of  April,   1848,  — about  the 
time  that  the  first  searching  expedition  was   getting 
ready  to  sail  froni  England,— they  were  to  set  out  for 
the  Great  Fish  River. 

Here  all  positive  knowledge  of  their  movements  comes 
to  an  end.  What  afterward  befell  them  can  be  stated 
only  from  conjecture,  based  upon  the  statements  of  the 
Esquimaux,  and  the  various  relics  that  have  been  di* 
eovered.     From  the  numerous  articles  found  scattered 


558 


LAST    VOVAUE  OF  FUANKMN. 


ili 


about  Dftar  tho  cairn  at  Ptiint  Victory,  we  Itiinw  that 
before  Htarting  tlicy  tlirew  awiiy  evciytliiinf  tiiat  could 
poHBibly  bo  Hpaiod,  to  iigiiteii  their  burden.  Forty 
days'  proviHioti  is  tho  utrnoHt  amount  lliat  they  could 
havo  carried  upon  tin'ir  Hled^CH,  in  addition  to  tiieir 
other  e(iuipinent8.  Tlie  country  at  that  season  atlbrded 
no  game  ;  but,  as  the  Great  Fisli  River  is  known  not  to 
open  before  August,  it  is  supposed  tliat  tiiey  hoped  to 
find  deer  and  sainion,  when  they  readied  the  main  land, 
with  which  to  sustai'.i  themselves  during  the  intervening 
time.  It  was  probably  the  absolute  necessity  of  pro- 
curing//"t;.s/t  provisions — for  salted  meat  is  simply  poi- 
son to  men  ulllicted  with  scurvy  —  that  induced  them 
to  abandon  tho  sliips  at  so  early  a  period  of  the  year. 

The  boat  found  by  Lieut.  Ilobson,  about  sixty-five 
miles  from  tho  ships,  with  lier  bow  turned  northward, 
proves  that  some  portion  of  the  party  attempted  a 
return.  Capt.  M'Clintock  thinks  that  thoy  were  return- 
ing for  more  provisions.  Lieut.  Sherrard  Osborne  gives 
a  ditferent  e.vplanation.  lie  thinks  that,  as  the  men 
toiled  slowly  along,  growing  weaker  from  day  to  day, 
under  tho  fearful  labor  of  dragging  such  ponderous 
sledges  and  boats,  as  well  as  their  disabled  comrades, 
through  the  deep  snow  and  over  rugged  ice,  it  became 
apparent  that,  if  any  were  to  be  saved,  there  must  be  a 
division  of  the  party,  and  that  the  weak  and  disabled 
must  stay  behind.  Thooe  who  were  too  weak  to  go  on 
accordingly  turned  back  with  this  boat.  The  skeletons 
found  in  her,  and  the  bones  said  to  havo  been  found  by 
wandering  Esquimaux  on  board  one  of  the  ships,  are, 
upon  this  theory,  tlio  remnants  of  the  SiCk  and  weak, 
who  must  have  formed  a  large  proportion  of  !1k  -  iginal 
party  that  landed  at  Point  Victory.  EI'.;. or  oi  these 
explanations  is  probable  enough  :  but  we  only  know, 
after  all,  that  a  portion  of  the  party  turned  back,  for 


fill 


LAST  VOYAGE  OF  FRANKLIN. 


559 


■otne  reaflon,  toward  tho  nhips,  and  that  two  men,  at 
least,  found  a  gravf*  in  this  boat.  The  Bhroud  of  mxow 
which  covered  them  for  ton  long-  years  haH  been  lifted, 
but  a  mystery  still  enwraps  them,  which  tho  fancy  geeki 
in  vain  to  penetrate. 

"Their  lait  dark  record  none  mmj  learn  i 

Whutbor,  in  feoblenou  and  pain, 

IleartHiak  tliey  watobed  Tor  tho  rotarn 

Of  thoie  who  never  caino  again  { 

Or  if,  amid  the  itillneae  drear, 

Tlioy  felt  the  drowiy  death-ohill  creep, 

Then  itretoliod  thorn  on  their  inowy  bier, 
And  ilumbered  to  their  last  lung  ileep." 

That  a  considerable  number  of  the  party  continued 
pushing  on  southward,  wo  know  from  the  testimony  of 
tho  Esquimaux.  Tho  skeleton  found  eastward  of  Capo 
Ilerschcll  proves  that  they  reached  that  point,  and  seems 
also  to  confirm  tho  Esquimaux  story  that  many  of  them 
dropped,  and  died  as  they  walked  along  ;  for  it  lay  ex- 
actly  as  the  flvmished  seaman  had  fallen,  with  his  head 
toward  the  Great  Fish  River  and  hia  face  to  the  ground. 
We  know,  also,  upon  Esquimaux  authority,  which  there 
is  no  reason  to  doubt,  that  a  remnant  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Fish  River.  "  After  the 
arrival  of  the  wild  fowl,"  says  the  Esquimaux  report, 
"  but  before  the  ice  broke  up,  the  bodies  of  thirty  per- 
sons and  some  graves  were  discovered  on  the  continent, 
and  five  other  corpses  on  an  island.  Some  of  the  bodies 
were  in  a  tent,  others  under  the  boat,  which  had  been 
turned  over  to  afford  shelter."  Tho  native  description 
of  the  locality  where  this  sad  scene  occurred  agreed 
exactly  with  Montreal  Island  and  Point  Ogle.  The 
time  of  its  occurrence  is  left  somewhat  indefinite  by 
their  statement ;  but,  knowing  what  we  now  do  of  the 
abandonment  of  the  ships,  and  taking  all  circumstances 


560 


THE  FRANKLli.    ^^' ' 


into  oonBlderaLionj  thore  can  be  hrt  it  va« 

in  the  'urnmer  of  18-i8,  and  that  the  fecule  .and  which 
perishjd  at  *he  mouth  of  the  Great  Fish  River,  while 
waiting  for  the  disruption  of  the  ice,  were  the  last  eur- 
Tivcrs  of  the  gallant  cro^s  of  tlie  EroLus  and  Terror. 

^yith  regard  to  the  ships,  the  substance  of  the  infor- 
mation  obtai-ed  from  the  Eso  -imaux  is,  that  'several 
years  ago  "  one  ship  was  crusiied  b;    the  ice  off  the 
north  shore  of  King   William's   Land ;    and   that   the 
other  waa  dziftod  ashore  in  tlie  fall  of  the  same  year. 
This   destrucition   of  one   ship   and  wreck   of  another 
occurred,  so  far  as  Capt.  M'Ciintock  could  ascertain, 
Bubsequently  to  their  abandonment.     Some  of  the  na- 
tives, seen  bv  him,  had  visited  the  wreck  as  late  as  the 
winter  of  1867-58.     An  intelligent  old  woman  stated 
that  on  boaid  the  wrecked  ship  there  was  one  dead 
white   man,    "a  tall  man  with  long  teeth  and   large 
bones."     Th^re  had  been,  "  at  one  time,  many  books 
on  board  of  her,  as  web  as  other  things  ;  but  all  had 
been  taken  away  or  destroyed  when  she  was  last  at  the 
wreck."     If  the  wreck  still  remains  visible,  she  pioba- 
bly  lies  upon  some  one  of  the  off-lying  islets   to  the 
southward  between  Oapos  Crozier  and  Ilerschell ;  as  no 
signs  of  her  could  be  discovered  on  the  shore  of  King 
William's  Land. 

The  following  description  of  the  affecting  memorials 
brought  home  by  Capt.  M'Ciintock,  as  they  appeared  at 
the  United  Service  Museum,  where  they  were  tempo- 
rarily deposited,  is  by  a  writer  in  the  London  News  : 

"In  the  first  case  is  the  'ensign'  of  one  of  the  ships, 
reduced  almost  to  shreds,  but  still  preserving  its  colors,' 
and  reminding  the  spectators  of  the  many  cheerless 
days  upon  which  it  must  have  lluttered  sadly,  but  still 
proudly,  from  the  mast  of  the  ice-hound  vessel.  In  a 
eorner  of  the  same  case  is  also  a  thin  tin  cylinder,  stained 


THE  FRANKLIN  RELIC& 


561 


»nd  timo-worn.  The  casual  spectator  would  hardly 
notice  it,  but  it  stands  first  in  importance  of  all  that  has 
been  recovered,  for  it  contains  the  record  of  the  death 
of  Sir  John  Franklin  —  that  happy  death  which  saved 
our  brave  veteran  all  the  subsequent  horrors  of  the  jour- 
ney to  the  Fish  River.  Further  on  are  the  rude  spear- 
heads into  which  the  Esquimaux  had  fashioned  the  iron 
they  obtained  from  the  wreck ;  and  a  box-wood  two- 
foot  rule,  whitened  with  exposure,  but  with  the  figures 
on  it  all  as  bright  as  the  first  day.  This  was,  of  course, 
the  property  of  the  carpenter,  who,  it  would  appear, 
had,  even  when  starting  on  his  dread  journey,  not  for- 
gotten the  implement  of  his  trade.  In  the  same  case  is 
a  relic  which  will  arrest  tho  eye  of  many  a  passer-by. 
It  is  the  remains  of  a  silk  nec'c-tie,  including  the  bow, 
as  carefully  and  elaborately  tied  as  if  the  poor  wearer 
had  been  making  a  wedding  toilette.  This,  which  was 
taken  from  the  naked  bones  of  a,  ghastly  skeleton  which 
was  discovered  some  miles  distant  from  the  main  track 
of  the  poor  pilgrims,  is  supposed  to  have  belonged  to 
the  ship's  steward.  There  are  also  various  articles  of 
plate,  the  greater  portion  of  which  is  marked  with  Sir 
John  Franklin's  device,  and  two  pocket  chronometers 
in  excellent  preservation.  A  small  silver  watch,  mak- 
er's name  '  A.  Myers,  London,'  probably  belonged  to 
Bome  young  mate  or  midshipman  ;  and  a  worm-eaten  roll 
of  paper,  upon  which  the  single  word  'Majesty'  re- 
mains, was  possibly  the  much-prized  warrant  of  some 
stout  boatswain  or  quartermaster.  There  is  a  little  ame- 
thyst seal,  in  perfect  preservation,  and  goggles  and 
Bnow-veils,  to  protect  the  eyes  from  the  dazzling  white- 
ness of  the  polar  snow.  Two  double-barreled  guns, 
covered  with  rust,  are  placed  ftir  in  on  the  table.  They 
still  contain  the  charges  which  were  placed  in  them  by 
nands  which  have  long  since  lost  their  cunning  The 
36 


562 


THE  FRANKLIN  RELICS. 


books  recovered  are  very  few ;    they  would,  of  cour««, 
succumb  early  to  the  rigors  of  exposure,— but  there  is 
still   well  preserved  a  small  edition  of  the  '  Vicar  of 
Wakefield,'  some  religious  poetry,  and  a  French  Testa- 
ment, on  the  fly-leaf  of  which  is  written,  in  a  delicate 
female  hand,  'From  your  attached  (the  appellation  ia 
obliterated  j  S.  M.  P.'     The  open  medicine-chest  con- 
tains all  its  bottles  and  preparations  very  little  injured, 
and  a  little  cooking-machine  has  the  fuel  arranged,  the 
sticks  thrust  through  the  bars  ready  for  ignition,  and 
lucifer  matches  at  the  side,  as  it  might  have  been  pre- 
pared over  night  for  the  morning  cooking.    It  would  be 
impossible  to  exaggerate  the  interest  and  importance  of 
all  these  simple  memorials ;  they  tell  a  tale  that  will 
find  its  way  to  every  heart." 

The  Franklin  expedition,  when  it  sailed  from  Eng- 
land,  numbered  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  sould. 
The  record  found  at  Point  Victory  tells  us  that  the  total 
*88  by  deaths  up  to  that  time  had  been  nine  officers 
•nd  fifteen  men,  and  that  the  party  which  landed  there 
numbered  one  hundred  and  five  souls.  This  leaves 
nine  men  unaccounted  for.  Is  it  an  error  in  the  figures, 
or  were  nine  men  left  on  board  the  ships  ? 

Although  the  death  of  the  whole  party  seems  to 
be  now  rendered  morally  certain,  we  have  no  direct 
evidence  of  the  death  of  more  than  half  their  num- 
ber. Until  the  fate  of  every  man  is  ascertained,  their 
relatives  and  friends  will  cling  fondly  to  the  hope  that 
some  may  yet  be  living,  and  will  urge  the  policy  of 
■ending  new  expeditions 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Death  of  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane.  — Dr  Hayes'  Expedition.  —  Deliveky  op 
Lectures  o.\  the  Subject.  —  Departure  oi'  the  United  Statks. — 
Amono  the  icEiiEiuis.  —  a  Sublimb  Sight  and  a  Narrow  Escape. — 
Winter  at  Pout  I'oulke.  —  Sledge  Travelling  to  Grinnell  Land. 
—  Reaches  Mount  Parry  and  Cape  Union.— Returns  to  Boston. 

On  the  16th  of  February,  1857,  at  Havana,  died  Elisha 
Kent  Kane,  M.D.,  aged  only  thirty-seven  years.  The 
hardships  and  vicissitudes  of  his  Arctic  experience, 
while  they  failed  to  afiect  his  vigorous  spirits  or  daunt 
his  unfaltering  courage,  had  completely  shattered  his  phys- 
ical health,  which  had  never  been  robust. 

Though  he  uied  young,  he  left  a  record  his  country  will 
ever  be  proud  of,  having  achieved  a  noble  fame,  not  only 
as  a  great  navigator  and  explorer,  but  as  a  true  hero,  a 
good  man,  faithful  and  straightforward  in  the  discharge  of 
every  duty,  and  courteous  and  dignified  in  his  intercourse 
with  his  peers  and  his  subordinates. 

In  the  narrative  of  Dr.  Kane's  travels,  given  earlier  in 
this  volume,  will  be  found  the  name  of  Dr.  Hayes,  the 
surgeon  of  his  expedition,  and  one  of  his  most  intrepid 
cx)rapanions.  Dr.  Hayes  had  shared  in  all  of  Dr.  Kane's 
adventures,  had  experienced  all  the  trials  and  perils  of 
navigation  in  the  Arctic  region;  but  the  intense  cold  of 
the  far  North  had  not  chilled  his  ardor,  nor  had  the  ice- 
fields and  floes  "  nipped  "  his  courage. 

We  quote,  by  way  of  introducing  a  brief  notice  of  Dr. 
Hayes'  expedition,  from  the  doctor's  own  interesting  nar« 
rative :  "  The  plan  of  the  enterprise  first  suggested  itself 
to  lue  while  acting  as  surgeon  of  the  expedition  commanded 

6AS 


564 


DR.  HAYES'  EXl'RDITION. 


1  M 


by  the  late  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane,  of  the  United  States  Navy 
Although  its  execution  did  not  appear  feasible  at  tlie  pe- 
riod  of  my  return  from  that  voyage  in  October,  1855,  yet 
I  did  not  at  any  time  abandon  the  design.  My  object 
was  to  complete  the  survey  of  the  north  coasts  of  Green- 
land and  Griunell  Land,  and  to  make  such  explorations 
»8  I  might  find  practicable  in  the  direction  of  the  North 
Pole." 

On  first  laying  his  plans  before  the  public,  they  were 
coldly  received,  in  consequence  chiefly  of  the  growing  feel- 
ing that  the  results  proposed  to  be  attained  were  scarcely 
worth  the  risks,  while  the  many  lives  already  lost  in  the 
cause  were  immeasurably  beyond  all  the  actual  achieve- 
ments in  value,  and  would  be  inadequately  compensated 
for  by  entire  success.     So  thoroughly  in  earnest  was  he, 
however,  that  he  resorted  to  the  delivery  of  lectures  on  the 
subject  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  after  a  time 
Bucceeded  in  awakening  an  interest  in  his  plans  in  some  of 
the  scientific  associations,  and  eventually  induced  some 
capitalists  and  others  to  aid  him.    It  was  not,  however, 
till  June,  1860,  that  he  was  enabled  to  commence  actual 
arrangements    for   his   departure.     These   were    rapidly 
nmde;  a  schooner  called  the  Spring  Hill  was  purchased, 
its  name  changed  to  the  United  States,  a  ship's  company 
eecured,  the  vessel  carefully  and  completely  stocked  with 
provisions,  and  at  last,  on  July  7th,  Dr.  Hayes  and  his  party 
left  Boston,  in  good  spirits  and  with  elastic  hopes,  for  the 
icy  shores  of  Smith's  Sound,  which  point  the  gallant  doc- 
tor intended  to  make  the  base  of  his  explorations. 

Sailing  directly  for  the  outer  capes  of  Newfoundland, 
the  "  United  States  "  narrowly  escaped  shipwreck  on  Cape 
Race,  on  the  30th  of  July  got  within  the  Arctic  Circle, 
and  on  August  2nd,  reached  the  bold  promontory  of  Svarte 
Huk.  Here  they  were  becalmed,  but  a  view  of  the  coast 
and  of  some  fine  icebergs  seems  to  have  allayed  Hayes' 
vexation  at  the  delay.     Indeed,  a  note  in  his  diary  pre- 


lii-.,v  ■:■;*'■ 


AMONG   THE   ICEEEROS. 


565 


senta  so  graphic  a  picture,  we  feel  justified  iu  making  room 
for  a  brief  extract : 

"The  air  was  w-<,rm,  almost  as  a  summer's  night  at 
home,  and  yet  tliere  were  the  icebergs  and  the  bleak 
mountains,  with  which  the  fancy,  in  tliis  land  of  green 
liills  and  waving  forests,  can  associate  nothing  but  cold 
repulsiveness.  The  sky  was  briglit  and  soft,  and  strangely 
inspiring  as  the  skies  of  Italy.  The  bergs  had  wholly  lost 
their  chilly  aspect,  and  glittering  in  the  blaze  of  the  bril- 
liant heavens,  seemed  iu  the  distance  like  masses  of  bur- 
nished  metal  or  solid  flame.  Nearer  at  hand,  they  were 
huge  blocks  of  Parian  marble,  inlaid  with  mammoth  gems 
of  pearl  and  opal.  One  in  particular  exhibited  the  per- 
fection of  the  grand.  Its  form  was  not  unlike  that  of  the 
Colosseum,  and  it  lay  so  far  away  that  half  its  height  was 
buried  beneath  the  line  of  the  blood-red  waters.  The  sun, 
slowly  rolling  along  the  horizon,  passed  behind  it,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  the  old  Roman  ruin  had  suddenly  taken  fire 
and  were  in  flames." 

While  lost  in  contemplation  of  the  sublime  picture  he 
80  admirably  transfers  to  his  diary,  Hayes  was  rudely  re- 
called to  the  dangers  of  the  place  by  a  shout :  "  Ice  close 
aboard,  sir  !"  and  found  they  were  slowly  drifting  upon  a 
berg ;  by  means  of  a  boat  aud  a  line  they  avoided  the  un- 
welcome contact. 

After  the  usual  experiences  of  those  who  "  go  do\vn  to  the 
[Arctic]  sea  in  ships,"  the  perils  and  hairbreadth  escapes 
incident  to  the  navigation  of  seas  full  of  icebergs,  fields 
and  floes,  the  "  United  States"  took  up  her  winter  quarters 
at  Port  Foulke,  some  twenty  miles  south  of  Rensselaer 
Harbor.  Dr.  Hayes'  narrative  is  often  so  full  of  thrilling 
interest,  so  eloquent  and  fascinating  are  his  delineations  of 
Kome  of  the  threatened  collisions  with  the  icy  breakers,  the 
" Dippings"  in  the  icy  fields  and  floes,  that  the  temptation 
to  introduce  extracts  is  at  times  almost  irresistible ;  but 
we  have  reluctantly  to  resist  the  temptation  by  recollect- 


566 


ELEDQE   TRAVELINO. 


m 


ii'fj 


I; 


ingtlie  legitimate  scope  of  onr  work  as  a  sort  ot  cyclo. 
pedia  of  Arctic  experiences,  and  tiuis  to  keep  oiirselvea 
within  the  proi)er  limits. 

Having  been  forced  into  winter  qnarters  with  his  schooner, 
by  the  utter  impossibility  of  farther  advance  along  tho 
coast,  Dr.  Hayes'  indomitable  energy  wonld  not  permit 
him  to  rest  iVom  the  prosecution  of  his  great  work.     He 
inimediately  resolved  upon  crossing  the  sound  and  trying 
his  fortunes  along  the  coast  of  Grinnell  Land.     Setting 
out  with  a  picked  party,  he  pushed  on  vigorously,  but 
sledge-traveling  under  favorable  auspices  is  no  easy  mat- 
ter, and  he  found  it  in  this  instance  so  extremely  difficult 
that,  at  the  end  of  twenty-five  days,  they  had  not  got  half- 
way  across  the  sound,  while  many  of  his  party  were  quite 
exhausted  and  unable  to   proceed  fiirther.     Determined 
not  to  abandon  his  enterprise  while  there  was  the  least 
possibility  of  pushing  it  to  the  desired  result,  he  sent  all 
but  three  of  his  companions  back  to  the  schooner ;  and 
retaining  fourteen  of  the  dogs,  these  four  determined  men 
pushed  dauntlessly  forward.    Fourteen  days  completed  the 
crossing  of  the  sound,  and  then  a  scarcely  less  harassing 
journey  along  the  coast  commenced.     Five  days  broke 
down  one  of  the  small  party,  so  that  he  could  travel  no 
farther.     He  could  not  be  left  alone,  and  Hayes  would 
not  yet  give  up ;  so  leaving  the  disabled  man  and  one  to 
take  care  of  him,  the  intrepid  doctor  pursued  his  journey 
with  a  single  attendant,  until,  on  the  18th  of  May,  he  waa 
brought  to  an  absolute  stand  by  rotten  ice  and  cracks  that 
forbade  his  advance.     He  had  now,  however,  the  extreme 
satisfaction  of  finding  himself  at  .Alount  Parry,  and  see- 
ing, just  before  him,  Cape  Union,  the  mo.st  northern  knoivn 
land,  which  had  hitherto  been  seen  by  but  one— Captain 
Parry.     He  returned  then  to  the  schooner.     Durino-  the 
winter  and  until  the  12th  of  July,  Hayes  and  his  party 
made  several  excursions  of  more  or  less  importance.  bu"t 
\»Uh  no  results  that  we  need  here  note.     On  the  latter 


RETURNS   TO    BOSTON. 


567 


(late,  the  ice  liaving  released  the  schooner,  the  .laring 
commauder  attempted  to  reach  the  opposite  coast  and  push 
liiH  discoveries  in  Grinnell  Laud.  But  finding  that  the 
rougli  usage  amid  the  ice  had  so  badly  crippled  his  little 
vessel  that  it  was  impossible  to  force  her  througli  the  pack- 
ice,  he  had  to  forego  his  plans  for  a  time  and  return  to  hia 
Jiative  land.  His  noble  little  schooner  reached  Boston  in 
October,  18G1,  and  tlie  energetic  doctor  found  himself  and 
his  co-adventurers  once  more  at  the  Hub  in  good  health 
and  spirits,  not  discouraged  in  the  least,  but  resolved  at 
the  earliest  opi)ortunity  to  go  forth  again  on  a  similar  ex- 
pedition. One  notable  feature  of  this  expedition  is  the 
uniform  good  health  of  the  entire  corps.  Dr.  Hayes'  ex- 
perience as  surgeon  of  Kane's  expedition  had  taught  him 
how  to  steer  clear  of  "scurvy,"  that  fell  foe  of  life  in  the 
Frozen  Zone,  and  he  had  so  well  learned  the  lesson  that  not 
any  of  his  party  at  any  time  had  the  slightest  symptom  of 
the  terrible  disorder.  But  one  died— Mr.  Sonntag,  the 
second  in  command— and  his  death  was  caused  by  falliu" 
into  a  tide-crack,  and  then  attempting  to  reach  shelter  in 
hi3  wet  cloihes. 


fK  -< 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Captain  C.  F.   Hall. -His   Pkrsonal  Appearakce. -  Early  Life - 

INTERKSTKD  IN  BoOKS  OF   TRAVEL    AND  ADVENTURE.  -  H„  BECOMES  iv- 
H?™    V.T    '•^— ™--^---    EXPKD.TI0N.-;0^A^; 

Hannah.- n,s  Rkturn,  and   tub  Results  of  his  Lifk  in  Ghkkn 

LAND. -SECOND    EXPEDITION.  -  Its    RkSULTS. 

We  come  now  to  speak  of  the  universally  lamented 
Captain  Charles  Francis  Hall,  and  of  his  three  notable 
expeditions  and  their  important  results. 

Of  the  many  brave,  adventurous  men  who  have  entered 
upon  the  work  of  exploring  the  Frigid  Zone,  scarcely  one, 
except  It  be  Sir  John  Franklin,  can  be  classed  with  Cap- 
tarn  Hall.  During  a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years 
his  one  leading  idea  was  to  conduct  an  expedition  to  the 
work  of  exploring  the  far  North;  his  large  mind  wiv, 
devoted  to  laying  out  plans  and  devising  means  to  discover 
the  hidden  secrets  of  the  frozen  regions  of  the  North 
Pole.  No  man,  with  the  single  exception  suggested,  has 
ever  so  entirely  consecrated  himself  to  this  work 

In  his  prime,  Captain  Hall   was  tall  and   well   pro- 
portioned, possessing  a  massive,  rugged  and  yet  vigorous 
Irame  which  seemed  to  indicate  that  he  could  endure  a 
vast  amount  of  exposure  and  fatigue.     His  physique  was 
just  what  we  should  imagine  that  of  a  man  of  his  indomita- 
ble courage  and  indefatigable  energy.     He  had  a  firmly- 
net,  expressive  mouth,  enveloped  by  a  thick  brown  beard 
and  moustache;  a  clear,  penetrating  dark-blue  eye,  with 
heavy  overhanging  brows.     He  had  the  appearance  of  a 
man  born  to  command,  and  one  who  could  not  be  swerved 
from  a  path  he  had  once  chosen  for  his  feet. 
In  presenting  a  sketch  of  Captain  Hall,  we  shall  not 
fifiS 


EAHLT  LIFE  OF  CAPTAIN   HALL. 


669 


spare  space  to  notice  his  pedigree  or  birth,  but  only  re- 
mark that  he  was  a  native  of  Vermont;  his  parents 
had  loft  there  when  he  was  still  very  young,  and  he  lived 
for  upwards  of  fifteen  years  in  Cincinnati.  He  evinced 
a  fondness  for  books  of  travel  and  adventure  in  early  boy- 
hood. Having  been  put  to  the  trade  of  engraving,  he  de- 
voted his  spare  change  to  procuring,  and  his  spare  momenta 
to  reading,  works  of  this  class.  He  early  became  an  ardent 
sharer  in  the  interest  in  the  then  uncertain  fate  of  Sir  John 
Franklin,  and  in  1850  began  to  look  forward  to  taking  an 
active  part  in  the  search  for  him  and  his  party,  or  at  leo^t 
for  some  certain  information  concerning  them.  It  was 
about  this  time  that  the  first  Grinnell  expedition  was  in 
course  of  fitting  out,  and  the  popular  interest  was  intense 
throughout  this  country  and  indeed  in  all  parts  of  the 
civilized  world.  Hall,  during  the  next  decade,  became 
not  only  an  enthusiastic  student,  but  devoted  every  mo- 
ment of  leisure  at  his  command  to  acquainting  himself 
with  all  that  was  kno\vn  in  regard  to  polar  matters ;  and 
being  of  active  mind,  he  made  his  own  deductions,  formed 
his  own  opinions,  and  matured  his  own  plans. 

In  1854,  Hall's  sympathies  were  deeply  stirred  by  the 
heroic  conduct  of  Lady  Franklin  in  organizing  and 
equipping  an  expedition  at  her  own  expense  (see  Chapter 
XXI.).  Notwithstanding  the  discoveries  of  Rae  and  An- 
derson, there  was  still  much  mystery  enveloping  the  fate 
of  some  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  men,  and  this  mystery  Hall 
felt  could  and  should  be  unraveled.  He  resolved  upon 
an  attempt  to  co-operate  with  Lady  Franklin's  expedi- 
tion, and  with  him  to  resolve  was  to  do,  and  he  immedi- 
ately set  about  his  arrangements  for  the  most  remark, 
able  expedition  on  record. 

"We  quote  here  an  extract  from  an  article  in  the  New 
York  Tnbiine  of  June  1st,  1860,  as  it  in  a  few  words 
Ptates  the  objects,  and  describes  the  starting,  of  Hall's  first 
expedition. 


ir. 


670 


IIALI,  S    FIRST    EXPEDITION. 


.      "On  Tuesday  morning,  Mr.  C.  F.  Hall  sailed  from  tlie 
port  of  New  London  (Conn.),  in  the  wlmle-shii)  George 
Henry,  Ciipt.  S.  O.  Buddington.     The  design  of  Mr.  Hall's 
expedition  is  twofold:  First,  to  survey  the  unexplored  re- 
gion lying  between  Cape  Willoughby  and  the  eastern  en- 
trance to  Fury  and  Hecla  Straita;  and,  secondly,  to  en- 
deavor to  gather  additional  particulars  respecting  the  fate 
of  Sir  John  Franklin's  expedition,     Mr.  Hall  ia  of  the 
opmion  that  there  may  be  still  living  some  of  that  com- 
pany, who  are  held  in  bondage  or  are  living  among  the 
northern  and  western  tribes  of  Esquimaux,  having  become 
in  a  moa-sure  identified  with  their  manners  and  customs, 
and  fearing  the  peril  and  danger  attendant  upon  a  journey 
of  several  hundred  miles  over  untrodden  ground,  have  set- 
tled down  with  the  people  of  their  necessitous  choice.     To 
these  he  will  offer  the  means  to  return  to  their  country 
and  friends,  and  gather  from  them  the  full  particulars  of 
the  fate  of  their  companions.     During  his  journeyings  he 
will  make  oh.^orvations  on  the  dip,  variation  and  intensity 
of  the  magnetic  needle. 

"While  on  a  visit  to  New  London,  in  February  last, 
with  a  view  of  purchasing  the  Amaret  (the  Rescue  of 
the  Grinnell  expedition),  he,  in  company  with  Captain 
Buddington,  planned  a  boat  expedition,  relinquishing  the 
idea  of  proceeding  to  the  Arctic  seas  with  a  large  v(!ssel. 
Messrs.  Williams  &  Haven,  a  firm  who  have  a  large  fleet 
of  vessels  engaged  in  the  Arctic  whale-fishery,  offered  him 
a  passage  free  of  charge.   This  offer  was  gratefully  accepted. 
Mr.  Hall  immediately  left  ibr  the  West,  where  he  resided, 
leaving  Captain  Buddington  to  superintend  the  building 
of  the  boat.     Mr.  G.  W.  Rodgers,  who  built  the  boats  for 
the  expeditions  of  De  Haven,  Kane  and  Hartstein,  took 
the  contract  and  built  a  boat  in  many  respects  resem- 
bling those  in  use  by  whalemen. 

"At  the  West,  Mr.  Hall  went  zealously  to  work  gath- 
ering material  for  his  proposed  expedition— provisiona, 


Capt.  Charles  F.  Hall. 


t1- 


IIALL  8    FIRST    EXl'EDITIO.V. 


5T1 


books,  olothiiiR,  charts,  guns  and  amiinuiition-  several  o! 
the  numt  iiiniicntial  men  a.sf<Lsting  him  in  procuring  tho 
necessary  outlitH.  The  Ocorgo  Henry  is  the  v(«sol  which, 
while  conunanded  by  Captain  JJiiddington,  picked  up,  ia 
inr)"),  ill  Uatiin's  Iky,  the  British  exph)ring  sliip  Resolute, 
whijh  C!ongress  bought  from  her  mdvors  and  returned  to 
the  British  navy.  The  Amaret  (formerly  the  brig  Rescue) 
is  now  sciiooucr  rigged,  and  goes  out  as  a  tender  to  the 
Gef-.ge  Henry,  She  ia  to  be  under  the  command  of  Cap 
tain  II(!nry  Reuben  Lamb. 

"The  George  Henry  will  transfer  Mr,  Hall  to  the 
Amaret  when  they  arrive  in  Cumbiirland  Inlet,  and  tlien 
Bhc  will  cruise  for  whales.  The  Amaret  will  probably 
take  Mr,  Hall  to  Sussex  Island,  where  he  will  disembark 
and  organize  a  boat's  crew  of  Esquimaux.  After  becom- 
ing, in  a  measure  acclimated,  and  procuring  atlditional 
outfits,  he  will  start  for  the  scene  of  his  undertaking. 
Tho  Amaret  will  then  join  tho  George  Henry,  and  they 
will  pursue  their  legitimate  calling  till  about  the  first  of 
Novemi)er,  when  they  will  seek  their  winter  quarters 
somewhere  in  the  latitude  of  63°  north. 

"Cud-la-ju-ah,  an  Esquimaux,  a  native  of  the  west  sido 
of  BafHn's  Bay,  sailed  with  Mr.  Ilall,  and  will  go  with 
him  on  his  boat  journey,  acting  as  his  mate  and  guide. 
He  will  trust  him  in  a  great  measure  in  the  selection  of 
his  crew.  Ho  is  an  experienced  whaleman,  and  is  thor- 
oughly conversant  with  the  region  into  which  ^Ir.  Hall 
desires  to  penetrate. 

"Mr,  Hall  seemed  in  excellent  spirits,  and  never  for  a 
moment  showed  any  hesitation  or  want  of  confidence  in 
bis  undertaking.  Cud-la-ja-ah  was  in  good  humor,  aud 
seemed  pleased  to  think  ho  would  be  soon  at  his  icy 
home." 

Thus,  in  the  best  of  spirits,  with  high  hopes,  and  under 
favorable  auspices,  went  forth  this  wonderful  exploring 
expedition,  comprising  one  white  man  and  one  Esq\iimuu« 


672 


JOB  AND   HANNAH. 


or  Linuit.  The  intrepid  explorer  arrived  in  due  time, 
August  8th,  in  a  bay  in  latitude  63°  20',  called  by  the 
Datives  Ookoolear,  but  by  Hall  named  Cornelius  Grinnell 
Bay.  Here  Hall  took  up  his  quarters  for  a  time,  and  set 
himself  to  learn  the  language  and  the  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  the  Esquimaux,  or  Innuits,  as  they  call  them- 
selves,  a  terra  which  simply  signifies  "  men." 

Shortly  after  he  had  made  himself  at  home,  he  was  sur- 
prised,  while  writing  in  his  cabin,  to  hear  a  low,  sweet 
voice  say,  "Good-morning,  sir;"  and  on  looking  up  saw  a 
fair-skinned,  rather  good-lcoking  Innuit  woman.   This  was 
Yukilitoo,  the  wife  of  Ebeeing,  a  somewhat  famous  seal- 
hunter  and  pilot.    These  two  had,  seven  years  before,  been 
taken  to  England  by  a  whaler,  and  had  there  been  well 
received  and  made  much  of,  dining  with  Prince  Albert 
and  being  introduced  to  the  queen.    The  wife  had  ac- 
quired an   excellent  knowledge  of  the  English  tongue, 
speaking  it  fluently  and  with  no  little  grace,  while  the 
husband  had  learned  it  well  enough  to  speak  quite  intel- 
ligibly.     This  was  a  fortiuiate  surprise  for  Hall,  as  the 
two  became  his  firm,  attached   friends,  remaining  with 
him  till  the  day  of  his  death,  and  rendering  services  that 
were  often  of  the  last  value.     They  will  doubtless  be 
more  readily  recognized  by  our  readers  by  their  Christian 
names,  Joe  and  Hannah. 

We  cannot  attempt  to  follow  Hall  in  his  life  among 
the  Innuits,  or  in  his  exploring  trips.    Sufiice  it  here  to 
«ay  that  he  was  not  idle  or  neglectful  of  the  objects  of  his 
voyage.    Shortly  after  his  arrival,  he  was  deprived,  by  the 
loss  of  his  boat,  of  the  means  of  making  the  journey  west- 
ward, to  the  region  where  alone  he  could  have  prosecuted 
the  search  for  intelligence  of  Franklin's  unfortunate  party. 
However,  his  explorations,   limited  as   they   necessarily 
were,  were  attended  with   important   results.     Precious 
relics  of  the  expedition  of  Frobisher  (see  Chapter  I.)  were 
found,  the  fate  of  five  seamen  who  deserted  that  navigator 


s 


THfi    RETURN    IIOMR 


573 


was  determined,  and  what  had  until  then  been  knt,*ni  aa 
Frobisher  Strait  was  completely  explored  bj'  HaJl,  and 
proved  to  be  but  a  bay.  Besides,  he  gathered  much  val- 
uable information  as  to  the  habits  of  the  natives,  and 
learned  by  experience  what  cannot  fail  to  be  invaluable 
to  subsequent  explorers  in  those  climes.  After  a  speedy 
and  prosperous  home  voyage,  the  George  Henry  dropped 
anchor  again  at  New  London,  on  the  13th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1862.  Hall's  two  Innuit  friends  had  accompanied 
him  home,  and  of  course  attracted  much  attention ;  they 
had  brought  with  them  their  infant  daughter,  a  year  old, 
named  Yukeliteka,  "Butterfly,"  but  the  little  one  died 
a  few  months  after  their  arrival,  and  lies  buried  in  the 
graveyard  at  Groton,  Connecticut. 

Not  satisfied  with  the  results  of  his  first  remarkable 
expedition,  Hall  at  once  set  about  planning  a  second.  He 
spent  two  years  in  getting  his  exceedingly  interesting  nar- 
rative of  his  experience  and  his  discoveries  in  the  Arctic 
zone  through  the  press,  and  at  the  same  time  was  act- 
ively perfecting  his  plans  for  a  second  expedition. 

Ample  facilities  were  now  placed  at  his  disposal,  and 
on  the  30th  of  July,  1864,  he  had  completed  his  arrange- 
ments, and  again  set  sail  in  the  whaler  Monticello,  accom- 
panied only  by  his  Innuit  friends,  Ebeeing  and  Yukilitoo. 
In  his  preface  to  his  book,  he  says : 

"  I  am  persuaded  that  among  the  Innuits  may  be  sought, 
by  one  competent,  with  every  chance  of  complete  success, 
the  sad  history  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  men.  To  make 
myself  competent  for  this  more  intere.sting  and  important 
research,  I  patiently  acquired  the  language  and  familiar- 
ized myself  with  the  habits  of  the  Esquimaux.  I  now  re- 
turn to  their  country  able  to  speak  with  them,  to  live 
among  thorn,  to  support  my  life  in  the  same  manner  that 
they  do  theirs ;  to  migrate  with  them  from  place  to  place, 
and  to  traverse  and  patiently  explore  all  the  region  in 
which  it  ia  reasonable  to  suppose  Franklin's  crew  trav- 


674 


THE    SECOND    EXI'EDITIOX. 


elcd  and  perinhcd.  I  shall  be  accompanied  by  the  two 
intelligent  Esquimaux.  Ebeoing  and  Yukilitoo,  >vho, 
.  having  accompanied  me  on  my  return  from  my  first 
expedition,  and  after  remaining  with  me  for  two  years 
now  go  back  with  me  on  this  second  voyage.  I  enter 
upon  this  undertaking  with  the  liveliest  hope  of  success. 
I  shall  not,  like  previous  explorers,  set  my  foot  on  shore 
ior  a  few  days  or  weeks,  or,  like  others,  journey  among 
men  whose  language  to  me  is  unintelligible.  I  shall  live 
for  two  or  three  years  among  the  Esquimaux,  and  gain 
their  confidence;  and  I  have  the  advantage  of  under- 
standing their  language  and  of  making  all  my  vishea 
known  to  them." 

The  second  expedition  of  Hall  occupied  more  than  five 
years,  instead  of  the  two  or  three  years  which  he  had 
anticipated.  During  the  last  three  years  he  wivs  com- 
pletely shut  out  from  communication  with  home.  Up  to 
18(>7,  he  wrote  as  opportunity  aflbrded  to  his  fast  friend 
and  warm  supporter,  Henry  Griiinell.  In  1868,  when  he 
fully  expected  to  sail  for  home,  no  whaling-vessel  came 
back  from  the  Arctic  seas,  and  he  was  compelled  to  linger 
another  year  in  that  region.  Late  in  1869  he  returned 
and  was  received  with  plaudits  not  less  warm  than  those 
which  had  welcomed  Kane,  fifteen  years  before. 

Congress,  in  a  few  mouths,  passed  a  bill  making  adequate  ' 
api)ropriations  for  a  national  expedition  to  the  Arctic  re- 
gions, to  be  placed  under  the  direction  of  Captain  Hall, 
but  of  this  we  shall  speak  in  detail  in  our  next  chapter' 
telling  all  that  is  known  of  the  Polaris  and  her,  in  somJ 
respects,  disastrous  voyage. 

Captain  Hall's  letter,  or  report,  to  Henry  Grinnell,  Esq 
dated  Repulse  Bay,  June  20,  1869,  states  in  detail  the  in'l 
tormation  he  had  gained,  and  the  relics  he  had  secured 
of  the  Franklin  expedition.     The  information  it  is  not  ne-' 
cessary  to  recapitulate  here,  as  it  is  inainlv  corroboratory 
oi   what  Rae  and  Anderson  bad  already  obtained  (sea 


^mtUfmii^SSt 


SEARCniXO  FOR  POSSIBLE  SURVIVORS.    575 

Chapter  XXVITT).  StiP.,  we  make  a  few  brief  extracts 
which  wc  deem  sufficiently  interesting  to  be  worth  the  space 
they  occupy: 

"This  (lay  I  have  returned  from  a  sledge  journey  of 
ninety  days  to  and  from  King  William's  Land.  It  waa 
my  purpose,  and  every  preparation  was  made,  to  make 
this  journey  last  season,  but  my  attention  then  having 
been  called  to  Melville  Peninsula,  in  the  vicinity  of  Fury 
and  Hecla  Straits,  where  native  report  had  it  that  white 
men  had  been  seen,  I  directed  my  expedition  there,  by 
way  of  Am-i-tokc,  Oog-lik  Isle,  Ig-loo-lik,  with  the  ardent 
liope  and  expectation  of  rescuing  alive  some  of  Sir  John 
Franklin's  lost  companions.  The  result  of  the  journey 
wiis  the  finding  of  the  tcnting-place  of  a  few  white  men 
and  a  stone  pillar  they  had  erected  close  by  it  at  the  bot- 
tom of  Parry  Bay,  which  is  some  fifty  miles  south  of  the 
western  outlet  of  Fury  and  Hecla  Straits,  and  the  visiting 
rtf  several  places  where  white  men  and  their  traces  had 
lieen  seen  by  natives  of  Ig-loo-lik  and  vicinity  in  or  about 
the  years  1866-67.  I  also  gained  much  information  from 
the  natives  of  Ig-loo-lik,  North  Oog-lik  Isle,  and  there- 
abouts. .  .  . 

"The  result  of  my  sledge  journey  to  King  William's 
Land  may  be  summed  up  thus:  None  of  Sir  John  Frank- 
lin's companions  ever  reached  or  died  on  Montreal  Island. 
It  was  late  in  July,  1848,  that  Crozier  and  his  party,  of 
about  forty  or  forty-five,  passed  down  tiie  west  coast  of 
King  William's  Land,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Herschel. 
The  party  was  dragging  two  sledges  on  the  sea  ice,  which 
wiis  nearly  in  its  last  stage  of  dissolution,  one  a  large 
sledge  laden  with  an  awning-covered  boat,  and  tlic  other  a 
small  one  laden  with  provisions  and  camp  material.  Just 
before  Crozier  and  party  arrived  at  Cape  Her,<chel  they 
were  met  by  four  families  of  natives,  and  both  parties  went 
into  camp  near  each  other.  Two  Esquimaux  men,  who 
were  of  the  native  party,  gave  me  much  sud  but  deeply 


676 


DrSCOVKRY    OF    RELICS. 


interesting  information.  Some  of  it  stirred  my  heart  with 
endncsM,  intermingled  with  rage,  for  it  was  a  confession 
that  they,  with  their  companions,  did  secretly  and  hastily 
abamhm  Crozier  and  his  party  to  suffer  and  die  for  need 
of  fresh  provisions,  when  in  truth  it  was  in  their  power  to 
save  every  man  alive,  ■;  -lo-a  trace  of  Crozier  and  his 
party  is  to  be  found  keleton  which  McClintock 

discovered  a  little  below  the  south'vard  and  eastward 
of  Cape  Herschel.  This  was  never  found  by  the  natives. 
The  next  trace  is  a  camping-place  on  the  sea-shore  of  King 
William's  Land,  about  three  miles  eastward  of  Pfeiffer 
River,  where  two  men  died  and  received  Christian  burial. 
At  this  place  fish-bones  were  found  by  the  natives,  which 
showed  that  Crozier  and  his  party  had  caught,  while  there, 
a  species  of  fish  excellent  for  food,  with  which  the  sea 
there  abounds.  The  next  trace  of  this  party  occurs  some 
five  or  six  miles  eastward,  on  a  long,  low  point  of  King 
William's  Land,  where  one  man  died  and  was  buried. 
Then  about  south-south-east,  two  and  a  half  miles  farther, 
the  next  trace  occurs  on  Todd's  Inlet,  west  of  Point  Rich- 
ardson, on  some  low  land  that  is  an  island  or  a  part  of  the 
main  land,  as  the  tide  may  be.  Here  the  awning-covered 
boat  and  the  remains  of  about  thirty  or  thirty-five  of  Cro- 
zier's  party  were  found.  .  . . 

"In  the  spring  of  1849  a  large  tent  was  found  by  some 
of  the  natives  whom  I  saw,  the  floor  of  which  was  com- 
pletely covered  with  the  remains  of  white  men.  Close  by 
were  two  graves.  This  tent  was  a  little  way  inland  from 
the  head  of  Terror  Bay. 

"  In  the  spring  of  1861,  when  the  snow  was  nearly  all 
gone,  an  Esquimaux  party,  conducted  by  a  native  well 
known  throughout  Northern  regions,  found  two  boats,  with 
many  skeletons  in  and  about  them.  One  of  these  boats 
had  been  previously  discovered  by  McClintock;  the  otln-r 
was  lying  from  one-quarter  to  one-half  mile  distant,  and 
must  have  been  com])Ietely  entombed  in  the  snow  at  the 


lia»» 


A    WINTKR   SEARCH    L'SEI.ESS. 


577 


time  McClintook's  parties  were  there,  or  they  most  assi> 
redly  would  have  seen  it.  In  and  about  this  boat,  besides 
the  many  skeletons  alluded  to,  were  found  many  relics, 
most  of  them  similar  in  character  to  those  McClintock  ha« 
enumerated  as  having  been  found  in  the  boat  he  discov- 
ered. . . . 

"  The  same  year  that  the  Erebus  and  Terror  were  aban- 
doned one  of  them  consummated  the  great  Northwest  pas- 
sage, having  five  men  aboard.  The  evidence  of  the  exact 
number  is  circumstantial.  Everything  about  this  North- 
west passage  ship  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  expedition  was 
in  complete  order ;  four  boats  were  hanging  high  up  at  the 
ship's  sides  and  cue  was  on  the  quarter-deck ;  the  vessel 
was  in  its  winter  housing  of  sail  or  tent  cloth.  This  vessel 
was  found  by  the  Ook-joo-lik  natives,  near  O'Reilly  Island, 
lat.  68  deg.  30  min.  north,  long.  99  deg.  8  min.  west,  early 
in  the  spring  of  1849,  it  being  frozen  in  the  midst  of  a 
smooth  and  unbroken  floe  of  ice  of  only  one  winter's  for- 
mation. .  .  . 

"  To  complete  the  history  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  last 
expedition,  one  must  spend  a  summer  on  King  William's 
Land,  with  a  considerable  party,  whose  only  business 
should  be  to  make  searches  for  records  which  beyond 
doubt  lie  buried  on  that  island.  I  am  certain,  from  what 
I  have  heard  the  natives  say,  and  from  what  I  saw  myself, 
that  little  or  nothing  more  can  be  gained  by  making  searches 
th'  fe  when  the  island  is  clothed  in  its  winter  garb,  for  the 
Es(juimaux  have  made  search  after  search,  over  all  the 
ccast  of  King  William's  Land,  on  either  side,  from  its 
Bouthern  extreme  up  to  Cape  Felix,  the  northern  point, 
for  anything  and  everytliing  that  belonged  to  the  com- 
panions of  Sir  John  Franklin,  and  these  searches  have 
been  made  when  the  snow  had  nearly  all  disappeared 
from  the  land. 

"  My  sledge  company  from  Repulse  Bay  to  Kn)g  Wil- 
liam's Laud  consisted  of  eleven  souls,  all   Esquimaux 


ii 

Mr ' 


678 


DANGER  FROM  THE  NATIVES. 


Although  they  are  us  untamable  aa  eagles  by  nature,  yet 
by  their  aid  alone  I  was  enabled  to  reach  points  otherwise 
inaccessible,  and  when  there  to  gain  much  important  in- 
formation relative  to  the  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  ex- 
])cdition.    I  tried  hard  to  accomplish  far  more  than  I  did, 
but  not  one  of  the  company  would,  on  any  account  what- 
ever, consent  to  remain  with  me  in  that  country  and  make 
a  summer  search  over  that  island,  which,  from  informa- 
tion I  had  gained  of  the  natives,  I  had  reason  to  suppose 
would  be  rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  the  whole  of  the 
manuscript  records  that,  had  accumulated  in  that  great  ex- 
pedition, and  been  deposited  in  a  vault  a  little  way  inland 
or  eastward  of  Cape  Victory.     Knowing,  as  I  now  do,  the 
character  of  the  Esquima'jx  in  that  part  of  the  country  m 
which  King  William's  Land  is  situated,  I  cannot  wonder 
at  nor  blame  the  Repulse  Bay  natives  for  their  refusal 
to  remain  there,  as  I  desired.     It  is  quite  probable  that 
had  we  remained,  as  I  wished,  no  one  of  us  would  ever 
have  got  out  of  the  country  alive.    How  could  we  expect, 
if  we  had  got  into  straitened  circumstances,  that  we  should 
have  received  better  treatment  from  the  Esquimaux  of 
that  country  than  the  one  hundred  and  five  souls  who  were 
under  the  command  of  the  heroic  Crozier,  some  time  after 
the  lauding  on  King  William's  Land  ?    Could  I  and  my 
party,  with  reasonable  safety,  have  remained  to  make  a 
summer  search  on  King  William's  Land,  it  is  not  only 
probable   that  we  should   have  recovered  the  logs  aud 
journals  of  Sir  John   Franklin's  expedition,  but  have 
gathered  up  and  entombed  the  remains  of  nearly  one  hun- 
dred of  his  companions,  for  they  lie  about  the  places  where 
the  three  boats  have  been  found,  and  at  the  large  camp- 
ing-place at  the  head  of  Terror  Bay  and  the  three  other 
places  that  I  have  already  mentioned.     In  the  cove,  west 
Bide  of  Point  Richardson,  however.  Nature  herself  has 
opened  her  bosom  and  given  sepulture  to  the  remains  of 
the  immortal  heroes  that  have  died  there.     Wherever  the 


t  ■  r 


HONORS   TO   THE    DEAD. 


579 


Esquimaux  have  found  the  graves  of  Franklin's  corapan- 
icns  they  have  dug  them  open  and  robbed  the  dead,  leav- 
ing them  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  wild  beasta.  On 
Todd's  Island  the  remains  of  five  men  were  not  buried, 
but  after  the  savages  had  robbed  them  of  every  articlft 
that  could  be  turned  to  any  account  for  their  use,  their 
dogs  were  allowed  to  finish  the  disgusting  work. 

"  "Wherever  I  found  that  Sir  John  Franklin's  compan- 
ions had  died  I  erected  monuments,  then  fired  salutes  and 
waved  the  Star-Spangled  Banner  over  them  in  memory 
and  respect  of  the  great  and  true  discoverers  of  the  North- 
west passage. 

"  I  could  have  gathered  great  qi  xntitics — a  very  great 
variety — of  relics  of  Sir  John  Frat^klin's  expedition,  for 
they  are  now  possessed  by  natives  all  over  the  Arctic 
regions  that  I  visited  or  heard  of,  from  Pond's  Bay  to 
Mackenzie  River.  As  it  was,  I  had  to  be  satisfied  with 
taking  upon  our  sledges  about  125  pounds'  total  weight  of 
relics  from  natives  about  King  William's  Land." 


»!i' 


■"*! 


.■  u 
IS! 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

•lirK    l':..ARIS    Kxi.K,.l,,„N._r„AIUCTl:K    OK    THE    VESSEL.  -  ITS    OUTKIT 

Crkvv  and  OrnoKHs-lT  I.kaves  New  York  ,k  Ju,.r,  1871. -Arrn 

VAr,  AT,  ANP  nKPARTlRE  KBOM,  UPKRNAVIK.  -  REACHES  THE  IlKiWEST 
LATlTll.lC  KVKU  ATTAI.NKI.  _  VAl.UAIir.K  DiSCOVKRIKS.  -  WiNTER  OOAR- 
TKKS   IN  T„ANK-(;n„   IlAKnoR,    r>o,.AR,S   RaY.  -  CaPTAIN   IFaU/s  StEDOR 

KxPr.oRATioNs.-II,s  Death  anh  Solemn  Burul.- Subsequent  Move- 
ments OK  THE  Polaris  until  a  Gale  separates  her  from  the  Party 

CN  THE  ICE-RAKT. 

As  we  have  intimated  in  the  foregoing  chapter,  on 
Captain  Hall's  return  from  his  second  expedition,  the  in- 
terest in  Arctic  explorations  became  intense  tluoughout 
this  country,  and  Congress,  echoing  the  prevalent  senti- 
ment,  determined  to  fit  out  and  send  a  well-appointed  ex- 
pedition,  under  the  command  of  the  now  renowned  Hall, 
and  ai)propriated  a  considerable  sum  for  the  purpose! 
Without  entering  into  i)rosy  details,  we  will  but  remark 
the  steamer  Polaris  was   selected,  thoroughly  equipped, 
completely  pre .isioned,  manned  with  a  fine  crew  and  a 
full  corps  of  efficient  officers  api)ointed.     The  vessel  waa 
probably  the  finest  and  the  best  calculated  for  the  enter- 
prise that  has  ever  gone  into  the  Arctic  regions ;  but  oue 
fault  has  been  tbund  with  her,  and  that  was  a  deficiency 
in  steam-power.     And  everything  was  done  that  her  com- 
mander's vast  experience  could  suggest  to  make  her  out- 
fit, supplies  and  crew  just  what  their  grand  mission  de- 
manded.    The  gallant  captain's  own  estimate  of  the  pros- 
pects of  this  voyage  may  be  gathered  from  his  own  words, 
uttered  while  the  vessel,  etc.,  were  in  course  of  prepara- 
tion. 

"I  have  demonstrated  in  my  own  person  that  white 
680 


Ui 


M 


foSJ. 


iECRETARY  ROBESON's   ORDERS. 


588 


men  can  live,  with  no  extraordiimry  sufnrings,  for  yean 
in  tl»o  depliia  of  the  Arctic  regions.  I  imvc  lived  there 
for  yeiins,  and  ciin  teach  my  aHHocintes  how  to  do  ho. 
Upon  this  new  cx[)editiou  I  shall  be  anijily  provided  with 
all  means  for  a  thorough  exploration.  I  shall  have  with 
me  a  scientific  observer,  a  naturulijit  fully  qualiiied  to 
report  upon  everything  in  his  department,  and  an  artist 
and  photographer,  who  will  be  able  to  depict  everything 
relating  to  the  Arctic  regions.  Thus  abundantly  sup- 
plied, and  aided  by  my  own  experience  of  more  than  ten 
years,  I  think  that  I  shall  be  able  to  accomplish  some- 
thing worthy  of  the  means  placed  at  my  disposal." 

Secretary  Robeson  on  June  9th,  1871,  issued  his  official 
orders  to  Captain  Hall ;  ho  conveyed  them  in  a  letter 
written  in  his  characteristic  style — dignified  and  explicit, 
and  yet  kind  and  showing  a  lively  interest  in  the  expedi- 
tion and  a  full  appreciation  of  ita  importance  and  its  dan- 
gers, aa  well  as  of  the  peculiar  fitness  of  the  captain  to 
lead  in  the  vast  undertiiking.  Accompanying  the  Secre- 
tary's letter  was  one  frf/ra  President  Henry  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Sciences,  with  comi)lete  detailed  instructions 
f<»r  the  making  of  scientific  researches  and  the  keeping  of 
an  accurate  and  intelligible  record  oi  observations. 

The  Polaris  lefl  the  Washington  Navy  Yard  on  the 
following  day  for  New  York,  arriving  at  the  Brooklyn 
Yard  on  the  14th.  The  equipment  and  final  preparations 
for  the  hazardous  enterprise  were  pushed  rajjidly  forward, 
and  on  the  28th  Captain  Hall  wrote  the  Secretary  that 
the  Polaris  was  "  now  ready  for  sea,  and  will  sail  to-mor- 
row." He  added:  "  Before  leaving  port,  I  cannot  forbear 
expressing  my  great  obligation  to  you  fbi  the  intelligent 
and  generous  manner  in  which  you  have  provided  for 
the  expedition  in  all  respects.  The  ship  1ms  been,  under 
your  directions,  strengthened  and  prepared  lor  the  special 
service  upon  which  she  eaters  in  +he  most  approved  man 
ner,  and  is  supplied  with  every  appliance  to  make  the 


58t 


DEPARTURE   FROM    NEW    YCK. 


expedit.on  a  success.  The  officers  and  crew  of  the  ship 
are  all  I  could  desire,  aud  the  iirovision  made  for  the  sub- 
sistence and  protection  of  all  on  board  is  the  best  that 
could  be  devised.  Your  generous  response  to  every  legiti- 
mate request  I  have  made  in  regard  to  the  ship's  outfit 
demands  the  expression  of  my  warmest  gratitude.  The 
only  return  I  can  make  now  is  the  assurance  of  my  deter- 
mination, with  God's  blessing,  that  the  expedition  shall 
prove  a  success,  and  redound  to  the  honor  of  our  country 
and  to  the  credit  of  your  administration." 

We  have  quoted  thus  largely,  deeming  it  simple  justice 
to  put  on  record  Captain  Hall's  just  estimate  of  the  Sec- 
retary's "intelligent  and  generous"  care  in  discharging 
his  duty  in  fitting  out  the  "United  States  expedition 
toward  the  North  Pole." 

Confident  of  his  ability  to  cope  with  the  usual  perils  of 
polar  navigation  and  life,  and  fully  appreciating  the  un- 
expectedly liberal  facilities  now  at  his  command,  little  did 
he  dream  of  the  sad  eclipse  awaiting  his  earthly  hopes  on 
the  eve  of  their  qomplete  fruition.  His  own  bright  anti- 
cipations did  not  cast  into  shade  the  universal  expecta- 
tions of  the  people  of  the  entire  ountry.  There  was  but 
one  opinion  in  all  minds,  but  one  sentiment  in  all  hearts ; 
pveu  the  constitutionally  timorous  and  the  innately  doubt- 
ful were  inspired  by  confidence  aud  trust ;  those  who  sel- 
dom take  interest  in  such  matters  were  scarcely  outdone 
by  the  naturally  enthusiastic  lovers  of  adventure  and  dis- 
covery. In  fact,  the  entire  heart  of  the  nation  beat  iu 
unison  iu  joyous  certainty  of  the  success  of  the  Polaris  ex* 
pedition,  aud  in  wishing  the  daring  voyageurs  a  prosper- 
ous voyage,  a  fruitful  exploration  and  a  happy  return, 
when,  on  the  29th  of  June,  1871,  the  staunch  steamer 
moved  from  her  berth  at  New  York  to  dare  the  ice- 
bergs, fields  and  floes  of  the  frigid  latitudes.  The  din 
of  the  cannon  fired  as  a  farewell  was  almost  drowned  iu 
the  chcer,s  of  the  multitude  who  witnessed  her  departure 


'■  .     <.^K'i    ■-!!■ 


Captain  !S.  0.  Uuuuimutum. 


-11^' 1,' 


ARRIVAL    AT   GREENLAND. 


583 


w  she  proudly  went  forth,  with  her  colors  flying  in  all 
tht'ir  beauty.  The  day  was  beautiful,  everything  propi- 
tious, the  omens  seemed  all  favorable.  A  writer  in  one  of 
the  publications  of  the  day  expressed  the  views  of  all  the 
people  when  he  said,  "  There  is  every  reason  to  hope  that 
he  (Hall)  will  be  able  to  solve  the  remaining  problens 
relating  to  the  Arctic  regions.  If  there  be,  as  there  is 
good  reason  to  suppose,  an  open  sea  surrounding  the  North 
Pole,  and  if  that  sea  is  accessible  to  man,  by  land  or  by 
water,  we  can  hardly  doubt  that  Hall,  certainly  the  first 
of  white  men,  and  most  likely  first  of  all  men,  will  make 
his  way  to  it."  Captain  Hall  had  for  his  sailing-mas- 
ter Captain  S.  O.  Buddingtou,  who  had  commanded  the 
whaler  George  Henry  which  first  took  him  to  the  shorea 
of  Greenland. 

Captain  Tyson  went  on  board  the  Polaris  at  the  last 
moment  before  leaving,  at  the. earnest  solicitation  of  Cap- 
tain Hall,  to  whom  he  waa  most  loyally  devoted,  and  who 
induced  Secretary  Robeson  to  commission  him  as  assistant 
navigator — a  somewhat  anomalous  position,  but  it  waa 
readily  accepted  by  Captain  Tyson,  who  attested  hia 
readiness  to  go  in  any  capacity.  Captain  Hall  also  took 
with  him  again  his  Esquimaux  friends,  Joe  and  Hannah. 

The  Polaris  had  a  safe  and  pleasant  passage,  and  ar- 
rived on  the  coast  of  Greenland  in  due  time.  Touching 
at  Holsteinborg,  July  31st,  the  captain  availed  '  imself  of 
an  opportunity  to  forward  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy.  He  had  touched  at  Tiscanaes  to  endeavor  to  se- 
cure the  services  of  Hans  Christian,  the  experienced  dog- 
driver  and  hunter  of  the  Kane  and  Hayes  expeditious, 
but  learned  that  he  should  find  him  at  Upernavik  awaiting 
the  Polaris.  The  captain  was  well  received  by  the  au- 
thorities at  the  Danish  ports,  who  made  cordial  offers  of 
Buch  aid  as  he  might  require.  On  the  3d  of  August  tho 
Polaris  steamed  for  Godhavn  (Port  Lively),  in  the  Island 
of  Disco.     Here  the  mind  of  Capttiiu  Hall  was  much  re- 


58(3 


IMPRISONED   BY  THE   ICE. 


lieved  by  the  arrival  of  the  United  States  transport  Con- 
gress, which  he  had  expected  to  meet  earlier,  at  Holstein- 
borg.  On  the  17th  the  Polaris  again  weighed  anchor 
for  Upcrnavik,  where  she  arrived  the  next  day.  Hero 
the  captain  succeeded  in  finding  and  engaging  Huns 
Christian,  and  he  and  his  family  came  aboard ;  he 
ftlso  engaged  Jen  i,  a  Dane,  who  had  been  a  valu- 
able worker  in  the  Hayes  expedition.  On  the  21st, 
having  secured  dogs  and  such  other  supplies  as  were 
requisite  for  the  work  before  him,  Captain  Hall  fairly 
entered  upon  active  operations.  Steaming  across  Mel- 
ville Bay,  the  Polaris  entered  Smith's  Sound.  Thence 
she  passed  through  Kennedy  Channel.  Thence  again 
she  pushed  on  into  what  was  supposed  to  be  Kane's  Open 
Polar  Sea ;  Captain  Hall  found  this  to  be  only  a  moder- 
ately large  bay,  and  he  named  it  Polaris  Bay.  Farther 
on,  he  discovered  another  bay  or  strait,  about  thirty  miles 
across ;  this  he  called  Robeson  Channel  or  Strait,  in  honor 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  Up  this  channel,  he  suc- 
ceeded, August  31st,  in  reaching  a  higher  latitude  than 
any  vessel  had  before  attained — 82°  29'.  The  energetic 
captain  made  several  efforts  to  work  his  steamer  still 
farther  up,  but  found  it  impossible ;  vast  floes  and  fields 
stretched  quite  across  the  strait,  and  completely  blocked 
up  the  passage.  The  Polaris  became  imprisoned  in  some 
of  these  huge  fields,  and  drifted  with  them  down  to  al)out 
81°  30',  when  the  captain  succeeded  in  extricating  her, 
and  steered  into  a  small  cove  in  Polaris  Bay,  in  latitude 
81°  38' ;  in  this  cove,  on  September  3rd,  the  captain 
anchored  his  gallant  steamer  for  the  winter.  The  name 
of  this  harbor  was  suggested  by  a  very  narrow  escape 
iVom  total  shipwreck  in  seeking  its  grateful  shelter;  so 
imminent  was  the  peril  that  everything  was  got  in  readi- 
ues:  to  abandon  her  at  a  moment's  notice.  But,  "  Thank 
God !"  the  captain  succeeded  in  saving  hor  and  taking  her 
into  safe  quarters,  and  he  recognized  the  divine  Hand  in 


AN    EXPLORING    TRIP. 


587 


the  ejpape  by  calling  the  naven  Tlmiik-God  Harbor.  Aa 
it  ofTen  happens,  a  berg  which  was  formidable  enough 
Itself  to  have  destroyed  the  steamer  proved  a  valuable 
help  m  her  extremity,  and  to  this  Hall  gave  the  appell» 
tion  of  Providence  Berg. 

With  the  Polaris  in  safety,  Captain  Hall  began  imme- 
diate preparations  to  prosecute  hia  discoveries  by  means 
ot  sledges.     He  first  erected  some  huta  and  an  observa- 
tory, and  made  such  other  arrangements  as  would  con- 
duce to  the  comfort  of  his  men,  and  at  the  same  time 
enable  his  scientific  assistants  to  make  their  observation3 
and  pursue  their  investigations  into  the  natural  phenomena 
of  polar  latitudes.     Having  completed  all  the  arrange- 
ments, Hall  started  on  October  10th  on  an  exploring  trip 
with  two  sledges  and  fourteen  dogs,  taking  with  him  his 
first  mate,  Mr.  Chaster,  his  friend  Joe,  and  Hans.     The 
journey  occupied  two  weeks,  during  which  they  traveled 
almost  incessantly.     On  October  17th  they  reached  lati- 
tude 82°  3',  and  here  paused,  having  on  the  way  dis- 
covered a  lake  and  a  river;   following  the  serpentine 
course  of  the  latter,  they  had  ..,.e  lo  a  bay  fully  thirty 
miles  in  extent,  which  Hall  named  Newman  Bay;  here 
there  were  two  capes,  the  southern  of  which,  "  a  high,  bold 
and  noble  headland,"  he  called  Sumner  Headland,  wh'ile  to 
the  northern  he  gave  the  name  of  Brevoort  Cape.     Find- 
ing the  mouth  of   Newman  Bay  open,  and  the  ice  of 
Robeson  Strait  in  motion,  it  was  impossible  to  pursue  the 
Bledge  journey  up  the  strait,  while  the  mountainous  nature 
of  the  land  on  the  north  made  traveling  in  that  direction 
impracticable.     Hence,  on  the  18th,  they  started  on  their 
return  to  Thank-God  Harbor.     The  farthest  point  of  land 
discovcr^ed  byHall  on  this  sledge  excursion  was  in  lati- 
tude 83°  5'.  but  he  has  left  no  description  of  that  Ivins 
beyond  82=  3'.  * 

Captain  Hall's  main  object  in  this  sledge  journey  was 
to  find  a  direct  and  feasible  route  by  which  he  might  hi  tlie 


688 


CAPTAIN  hall's  illness. 


spring  reach  or  nearly  approach  the  North  Pole.  Tl§»iigh 
disappointed  partially  in  this,  he  yet  hud  the  satisfuctiou 
of  setting  foot  on  land  farther  north  than  any  Aviiite  man 
had  before  attained,  and  of  discovering  a  channel  which 
he  had  reason  to  believe  might  prove  favorable,  in  the 
spring  and  summer,  to  the  consummation  of  his  great  am- 
bition of  reaching  the  pole  itself.  But  ere  the  spring  ho 
went  on  a  longer  journey,  to  a  brighter,  more  genial  clime 
than  that  of  his  earthly  hopes. 

On  the  24th  of  October  the  party  reached  the  vessel, 
very  much  fatigued,  but  all  apparently  in  good  health. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival,  however,  the  captain  found  him- 
self quite  indisposed,  though,  not  at  all  alarmed  at  his 
symptoms,  he  did  not  seek  the  surgeon,  but  sought  rather 
the  steward  and  asked  for  a  cup  of  coffee,  thinking  that 
would  allay  the  nausea  and  dizziness  that  were  distressing 
him.     A  very  brief  extract  from  the  testimony  of  the 
steward  at  the  investigation  by  Secretary  Robeson,  re- 
ferred to  hereafter,  will  serve  to  show  the  first  impressions 
of  that  acute  observer  on  the  incipient  stage  of  the  cap- 
tain's  illuess :  "  He  came  back  on  the  24th  of  October :  I 
met  him  in  the  gangway  and  shook  hands  with  him ;  he 
seemed  pleased  with  the  way  things  had  been  going  while 
he  was  away ;  presume  he  had  a  good  account  from  Cii]3- 
tain  Buddington;   he  thanked   the  men   for  conducting 
themselves  so  well  while  away ;  when  he  came  into  the 
cabin,  the  heat  seemed  to  affect  him  very  much  ;  the  tem- 
perature in  the  cabin  was  about  60  to  70  degrees ;  outride 
it  was  about  15  to  20  degrees  below  zero ;  I  think  the 
change  of  temperature  affected  him  ;  he  asked  me  if  1  had 
any  coffee  ready;  I  told  him  there  was  always  enough 
under  way  down  stairs  in  the  galley;  I  asked  him  if  he 
would  have  anything  else ;  he  said  that  was  all  he  wanted; 
I  went  down  stairs  and  got  a  cup  of  cofiee;  I  did  not 
make  the  coffee ;  I  told  the  cook  it  v  as  for  Captain  Hal] ; 
he  drank  white  lump-sugar  iu  his  coffee;  never  cared  for 


DEATH  AND   BURIAL  OF  CAPTAIN  HALL. 


689 


milk ;  he  then  took  a  hot  bath,  a  foot  bath,  with  a  sponge ; 
he  did  not  complain  of  feeling  unwell  when  he  drank  the 
oup  of  coffee ;  said  he  felt  tired,  and  soon  after  lay  down 
for  the  night ;  I  don't  think  he  was  sick  that  night ;  he 
might  possibly  have  been  sick  without  my  knowing  it ; 
not  until  a  couple  of  days  afterward  he  had  the  doctor 
attend  to  him ;  he  was  not  a  man  to  take  much  medicine ; 
Dr.  Bessel  attended  him ;  I  think  it  was  on  the  third  day 
when  he  took  to  his  bed ;  he  was  taken  down  suddenly ;  I 
thought  it  was  the  heat,  and  the  doctor  said  it  waa  apo- 
plexy ;  he  might  have  been  paralyzed  before  he  died ;  i 
do  not  remember  about  that ;  there  were  a  few  times  when 
I  thought  he  seemed  to  be  getting  well ;  I  saw  him  sitting 
in  the  cabin  dressed  and  writing;  I  asked  Mr.  Morton 
how  he  was ;  we  did  not  eat  in  that  cabin  then ;  we  had 
another  place  for  dining,  and  I  didn't  go  in  very  often 
through  the  day;  I  did  not  see  him  die,  but  saw  him 
ehortly  afterward."  He  rallied  and  appeared  in  a  fair 
way  to  recover.  Indeed,  he  got  so  much  better  that  he 
partially  resumed-  his  command.  But  his  convalescence 
was  transient  and  deceptive,  and,  in  the  act  of  issuing  an 
order  to  some  of  his  men,  he  had  a  relapse. 

From  this  second  attack  he  did  not  rally,  but  waa  almost 
continuously  delirious,  until,  on  the  8th  of  November,  he 
passed  from  the  scene  of  his  heroic  efforts  to  his  eternal 
home,  "Thank-God  Harbor"  proving  to  him  the  port  of 
embarkation  for  "the  bourne  whence  no  traveler  returns." 
Three  days  later,  the  cold,  frozen  shore  of  Polaris  Bay 
was  the  scene  of  a  sad  ceremony;  a  solemn  cort6ge  com- 
posed of  those  who  had  dared  the  perils  of  the  Arctic  Seaa 
and  lands  under  his  command  bore  the  remains  of  Captain 
Charles  Francis  Hall  to  their  rest  in  the  grave  cut  in  the  icy 
ground;  here,  assembled  around  the  rude  coffin,  they  join- 
ed in  the  solemn  Burial  Service  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church,  read  by  Mr.  Bryan.  Over  his  grave  they 
planted  a  small  American  flag.    Thus,  in  the  sleep  of  the 


590 


RESULTS    OF   THE    EXPEDITION. 


cold  gnive,  floats  above  him  the  beautiful  flag  ho  loved  lo 
well  ill  life. 

And  now,  in  the  soil  of  the  cold,  cheerless  land  to  the 
exploring  of  which  he  had  devoted  his  best  years,  repose 
the  mortal  part  of  one  of  the  most  intrepid,  most  poi-sever- 
ing  of  tiie  many  great  men  whose  names  are  recorded  in 
the  annals  of  fame,  and  his  native  laud,  which  honored 
him  living,  in  the  midst  of  its  grief  at  his  early  death,  can- 
not  but  feel  a  justifiable  pride  in  pointing  to  his  record  aa 
that  of  one  of  her  noblest  sons. 

Ere  we  follow  the  Polaris  in  her  subsequent  career,  let 
us  pause  to  note  what  the  brave,  dauntless,  persevering 
Hall  had  done  for  his  country's  honor,  and  what  he  had 
contributed  to  the  stores  of  the  world's  knowledge  of  those 
regions  that  have  for  so  many  years  claimed  the  absorbing 
interest  of  all  civilized  lands.  In  doing  this,  we  shall  repea* 
some  facts  before  recorded  in  these  pages;  but  a  recapitula- 
tion will  serve  to  present  in  a  single  picture  the  triumphs 
of  this  great  man,  and  will  enable  us  to  realize  that,  though 
cut  oflT  by  an  inscrutable  Providence  ere  he  had  reached 
the  goal  himself  had  set,  he  yet  did  not  live  in  vain. 

l£ow  nearly  he  had  attained  his  purpose,  how  closely  he 
approached  to  unfolding  the  secrets  of  the  Polar  Seu  and 
Land,  we  can  easily  estimate,  even  from  the  imi)orfect  data 
accessible. 

The  geographical  results  of  the  expedition  may  be  sum- 
med ^up  briefly  as  follows :  The  open  Polar  Sea  laid  down 
by  Kane  and  Hayes  is  found  to  be  in  reality  a  sound, 
which  Captain  Hall  named  Polaris  Bay.  This  sound  is 
of  considerable  extent,  formed  by  the  somewhat  abrupt 
expansion  of  Kennedy  Channel  to  the  northward,  and 
broken  by  Lady  Franklin  Bay  on  the  west,  and  on  the 
east  by  a  large  inlet,  twenty  miles  wide  at  the  opening, 
and  certainly  extending  far  inland.  Its  length  was  not 
ascertained,  and  Mr.  Meyer  thinks  it  may  be  in  fret  a 
strait  extending  till  it  communicates  with  the  Francis 


H 


Solemn  Burial  or  Cai'taim  Hat,!,  amidst  the  Snows  o^  thm 

Far  North. 


■ 


•i  t'M 


.    ! 


io91J 


F 

j 

^^^^^^v^^^H 

^HI3 

( 
i 

K 
It 

RKSULTS   OP   THE   EXPEDITION. 


633 


Joseph  Sound  of  thfi  Gormnnia  ami  TTnnsa  expedition,  and 
with  it  <h<fir)iiiK  tiic  northern  limits  of  Greenland.  Thia 
ijilet  wiiH  called  the  Hcjuthern  Fiord.  The  northern  point 
of  tluH  buy  wiw  named  Cape  Ltipton ;  its  southern  point 
is  yet  without  a  name.  From  Capo  Lupton  the  land 
trends  to  thi  northeiuit,  and  forms  the  eastern  shore  of  a 
new  channel,  o{)eniiig  out  of  the  sound  above  mentioned, 
to  which  Captain  Hall,  as  has  already  been  stated,  gave 
the  name  of  Ilobeson  Straits.  The  western  shore  of  these 
straits,  north  of  Grinncll  Land,  is  also  as  yet  nameless. 
Northeast  of  Cape  Lupton,  in  latitude  81°  37',  is  a  deep 
inlet,  which  Captain  Hall  called  Newman  Bay,  naming  its 
northern  point  Cape  Brevoort,  and  its  southern  bluff  Sum- 
ner Headland.  The  trend  of  the  land  continues  to  Re- 
pulse Harbor,  in  latitude  82°  3'  north,  the  highest  north- 
ern position  reached  by  land.  From  an  elevation  of  1700 
feet  at  Repulse  Harbor,  on  the  east  coast  of  Robeson 
Straits,  the  land  continues  northeast  to  the  end  of  these 
straits,  and  thence  east  and  southeast  till  lost  in  the  dis- 
tance, its  vanishing-point  bearing  south  of  east  from  the 
place  of  observation.  No  other  land  was  visible  to  the 
northeast,  but  land  was  seen  on  the  west  coast,  extending 
north  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  and  terminating  in  a 
headland  nearly  84°  north.  Mr.  Meyer  also  states  that 
directly  to  the  north  he  observed  on  a  bright  day,  from  the 
elevation  mentioned,  a  line  of  light,  apparently  circular  in 
form,  which  was  thought  by  some  observers  to  be  land, 
but  which  he  supposed  to  indicate  open  water.  Besides 
accurately  ascertaining  the  condition  and  extent  of  what 
was  before  supposed  to  be  an  open  Polar  Sea,  discovering 
the  Soutliorn  Fiord  to  the  southeast  and  Robeson  Straits 
to  the  north,  with  another  wide  expanse  of  water  beyond 
it,  and  extending,  by  examination  and  survey,  the  coast- 
line on  the  east  up  to  latitude  82°  3'  north,  and  by  obser- 
vation somewhat  farther  prolonging  the  west  coast  to  th» 
northward,  and  ptvssing  with  the  Polari/  under  steam  the 

38 


man 


594 


NATURAL    HISTORY   AND    PHENOMENA. 


high  latitude  of  82°  29'  north,  a  point  far  beyond  the  lini. 
its  of  all  previous  navigation  toward  the  pole — errors  in 
the  shore  line  of  the  west  coast  as  laid  down  by  Dr.  Hayes, 
and  also  errors  in  the  shore  line  of  Greenland  as  laid  dovm 
by  Dr.  Kane,  were  observed  and  corrected. 

But  besides  the  geographical  results,  there  are  others 
of  quite  as  much  importance,  embracing  valuable  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  the  natural  history,  the  temperature  and 
the  scientific  phenomena.  It  was  found  that  animal  life 
abounded.  Musk-oxen  were  shot  at  intervals  throughout 
the  winter,  their  food  consisting  of  the  moss  and  other 
vegetation  obtained  during  the  season  by  scraping  ofl'  the 
Buow  with  their  hoofs.  Wolves,  bears  and  foxes  and 
other  animals  were  repeatedly  observed.  Geese,  ducks 
and  other  water-fowl,  including  plover  and  other  wading 
birds,  were  very  plenty  during  the  summer,  although  the 
species  of  laud  birds  were  comparatively  few ;  there  were, 
however,  large  numbers  of  ptarmigan,  or  snow  partridge. 
No  fish  were  seen,  although  the  nets  and  lines  were  fre- 
quently called  into  play  in  attempting  to  obtain  them. 
The  waters,  however,  were  found  filled  to  an  extraordi- 
nary degree  with  marine  invertebrata,  including  jelly-fish 
and  shrimps.  Seals  were  very  abundant.  Numerous  in- 
sects were  observed  also,  especially  several  species  of  but- 
terflies, flies,  bees  and  insects  of  like  character.  Quite 
an  extensive  and  varied  collection  of  specimens  was  se- 
cured, the  store-rooms  of  the  Polaris  being  filled  with 
skins  and  skeletons  of  musk-oxen,  bears  and  other  ani- 
mals, different  species  of  birds  and  their  eggs,  numerous 
marine  invertebrata,  plants  both  recent  and  fossil,  several 
varieties  of  minerals,  etc. 

The  winter  temperature  was  found  to  be  much  milder 
than  was  expected,  the  minimum  being  58°  below  zero  in 
January,  although  March  proved  to  be  the  coldest  month. 
Rain  was  occasionally  observed,  only  on  the  land,  however. 
Durius;  the  summer  the  entire  extent  of  both  low-lantW 


RUMORS   CONCERNING    HALL'S   DEATH. 


C95 


and  elevations  was  bare  of  snow  and  ice,  excepting  patches 
bere  and  there  in  the  shade  of  the  rocks.  The  soil  during 
this  period  was  covered  with  a  vegetation  of  moss,  with 
which  several  Arctic  plants  were  interspersed,  some  of 
them  of  great  beauty,  but  entirely  without  fragrance, 
and  many  small  willows  scarcely  reaching  the  dignity  of 
shrubs. 

Even  more  important  perhaps  than  the  actual  result* 
of  this  expedition,  are  the  facts  established  by  his  experi- 
ence (as  they  will  doubtless  enable  other  explorers  to  pros- 
ecute the  search  for  the  still  hidden  mysteries  of  the 
North  Pole  and  its  surroundings),  that  the  Arctic  region 
may  be  made  tolerable  "nd  healthful  by  the  use  of  proper 
food,  that  the  snow  hut  of  the  Esquimaux  may  be  con- 
verted into  a  comfortable  home ;  and  when  the  last  barrier 
shall  have  been  broken  down  that  hides  the  polar  secrets, 
it  will  no  doubt  he  admitted  that  no  small  share  of  the 
honor  of  the  discovery  is  due  to  the  persistent  courage  of 
Charles  Francis  Hall ;  and  thus  he  will  be  awarded  that 
wreath  of  enduring  fame  he  so  truly  earned  by  his  entire 
self-consecration  to  the  great  work. 

It  is  known  to  our  readers  that  when  the  news  of  Cap- 
tain Hall's  death  was  first  received  in  this  country  the 
grief  and  consternation  in  the  public  mind  was  intensified 
by  rumors  that  he  had  been  poisoned.  As  ill  reports,  like 
ill  news,  travel  apace,  it  was  soon  in  everybody's  mouth 
that  malice,  engendered  by  jealousy  or  by  distaste  of  his 
rule,  had  destroyed  the  daring  and  enterprising  navigator. 
Secretary  Robeson,  with  his  characteristic  promptness,  de- 
termined to  sift  these  vague  charges,  and  fearlessly  to 
bring  the  foul  deed  home  to  its  perpetrator,  or  to  prove 
their  falsity  and  relieve  the  absent  from  their  taint.  He 
BP' '  that  a  thorough  investigation  alone  could  efiect  this, 
and  it  was  due  alike  to  those  who,  while  far  nway  and 
thus  unable  to  defend  tliemselves,  were  accused  .)f  a  terri- 
ble crime,  and  to  the  public  sentiment  vfhich  was  fearfully 


696 


NAVAL    COURT    OF    INQIXRY. 


agitated,  and  in  an  almost  equal  degree  to  the  memory  of 
the  brave  man  who  had  fallen. 

The  news  of  Captain  Hall's  death  had  been  brought  by 
Captain  Tyson  and  his  men,  who  had  just  been  provi« 
dentially  rescued  from  unparalleled  sufferings  and  perils 
by  the  American  steamer  Tigress  (of  which  we  give  a 
complete  and  graphic  history  in  the  following  chapter). 
The  Tigress  had  carried  the  rescued  explorers  to  St. 
John's,  Newfoundland.  Kobeson,  unwilling  to  suffer  the 
investigation  to  be  deLvyed,  at  once  sent  the  United  States 
steamer  Frolic  to  bring  Captain  Tyson  and  his  party  as 
speedily  as  possible  to  Washington.  So  resolved  was  the 
secretary  to  have  the  investigation  searching  and  thorough 
that  he  determined  to  act  as  chairman  of  the  court  of  in- 
quiry. He  appointed  as  his  associates  in  the  court  Com- 
modore W.  Reynolds,  U.  S.  N.,  Prof.  Spencer  F.  Baird, 
of  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  and  Captain  H.  A.  How- 
gate,  of  the  United  States  Signal  Service.  This  court  also 
took  cognizance  of  the  alleged  desertion  of  Captain  Tyson 
and  his  men  on  the  ice-floe  by  Captain  Buddington,  but  of 
this  we  shall  speak  in  its  proper  place  in  the  ensuing  chap- 
ter. Immediately  on  the  arrival  of  the  Frolic  the  court 
proceeded  with  the  investigation,  which  lasted  six  days, 
and  was  most  searching  and  exhaustive.  We  quote  from 
the  secretary's  report : 

"In  the  course  of  the  exfininj^tion,  which  lasted  six 
days,  we  have  taken,  separately  and  fully,  ujiun  all  the 
points  involved  upon  which  they  had  or  professed  to  have 
knowledge,  the  statement  and  examination  of  each  adult 
individuui  of  the  party  who  could  understand  or  speak 
any  English,  including  all  of  the  persons  rescued,  except, 
ing  the  wife  of  Hans  Christian  and  the  children.  These 
statements  and  examinations  were  carefully  taken  down  in 
short-hand  at  the  time."  The  report  concludes:  "  JVom 
personal  examination  of  all  the  witnesses,  and  from  their 
testimony  oa  given,  we  reach  the  uuuuimuus  opiuiuu  that 


ia 

i 

,    t 
i 

/ 

/ 

■     ' 

'.  -  r 

CAPTAIN   hall's  DEATH   NATURAL. 


597 


the  death  of  Captain  Hall  resulted  naturally,  from  disease, 
without  fault  on  the  part  of  any  one. 

"All  the  persons  examined  testify  to  the  uniform  kind- 
ness aid  oare  of  Captain  Hall,  and  to  the  good  order  and 
efficient  condition  of  the  Polaris  while  under  his  command. 
On  the  death  of  Captain  Hall,  Mr.  Buddington  succeeded 
to  the  command  of  the  Polaris,  as  had  been  provided  for 
in  the  instructions  for  the  voyage  Issued  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy." 

Thus  the  vague  rumors,  and  the  more  positive  charges 
built  on  them,  were  swept  away,  and  the  people  of  the 
country,  while  sincerely  mourning  their  eminent  fellow- 
American  and  heartily  deploring  his  death,  were  relieved 
from  the  state  of  excitement  that  his  supposed  murder 
had  naturally  produced.  The  gallant  captam's  most 
ardent  friends  and  admirers  were  gratified  to  have  such 
indubitable  proof  that  his  death  had  been  in  accordance 
with  God's  own  mysterious  will,  and  that  human  passions 
had  had  no  hand  in  hastening  it.  The  charges  had  had 
no  foundation  beyond  the  ravings  of  a  man  in  delirium, 
in  which  he  had  spoken  of  being  poisoned ;  he  had  also 
said  "  the  cook  has  a  gun  here,  and  wants  to  shoot  me," 
and  this,  impossible  as  it  was,  was  not  more  so  than  the 
other  delirious  suspicion.  As  John  Herron  testiiied,  "I 
think  every  man  respected  Captain  Hall ;  I  do  not  believe 
there  was  any  one  who  would  have  done  anything  wrong 
to  him."  Captain  Tyson,  Mr.  Meyer  and  the  other  wit- 
nesses were  equally  clear  on  this  point,  but  their  testi- 
mony is  very  voluminous,  and  necessarily  uninteresting  to 
the  general  reader. 

As  an  item  of  great  interest,  we  insert  here  a  despatch, 
his  last  official  act,  from  Captain  Hall  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy.  It  is  from  the  original  draft,  in  his  own  hand- 
writing, found  among  his  personal  papers  in  his  writing- 
desk,  which  was  presefved  on  the  ice  by  Esquimaux  Joe. 
and  by  liim  delivered  to  Secretary  Robeson : 


598 


LAST  REPORT   OF   CAPTAIN   HALL. 


1^ 


'r     ,  [I 


'7^ 


"SllTH   8!IOW-nO0SB   EnCAMPMWT,   CmTE   Brevoort,  NoEin   aiDK   Entranok  n 
NliWMAM  Bav,  latituao  82°  3'  north,  longiludu  61°  W  west,  OcU'ber  20, 1871. 

"  To  the  Honorable  Secretary  of  the  United  States  Navy, 
George  M.  Robeaon: 

"  Myself  and  party,  consisting  of  Mr.  Chester,  first  mate, 
my  Esquimaux  Joe,  and  Greenland   Esquimaux  Hans, 
left  the  ship  in  winter  quarters— Thank-God  Harbor- 
latitude  81°  38'  north,  longitude  61°  44'  west,  at  meridian 
of  October  10th,  on  a  journey  by  two  sledges  drawn  by 
fourteen  dogs,  to  discover  if  possible  a  feasible  route  in- 
land for  my  sledge  to  journey  next  spring  to  reach  the 
North  Pole,  purposing  to  adopt  such  a  route  if  found 
better  than  a  route  over  the  old  floes  and  hummocks  of 
the  strait,  whic^h  I  Irtvve  denominated  Robeson  Strait,  after 
the  honorable  Secretary  of  the  United  States  Navy.     "We 
arrived  here  the  afternoon  cf  October  17th,  having  dis- 
covered a  lake  and  river  on  our  way.     Along  the  latter 
our  route,  a  most  serpentine  one,  which  led  us  on  to  this 
bay,  fifteen  miles  distant  from  here,  southward  and  east- 
ward.    From  the  top  of  an  iceberg  near  the  mouth  of 
said  river  we  could  see  that  this  bay  (which  I  have  named 
after  Rev.  Dr.  Newman)  extended  to  the  high  land  east- 
ward and  southward  of  that  position  about  fifteen  miles, 
making  the  extent  of  Newman  Bay,  from  its  headland  or 
cape,  full  thirty  miles.     The  south  cape  is  a  high,  bold, 
and  noble  headland.     I  have  named  it  Sumner  Pleadland' 
after  Honorable  Charles  Sumner,  the  orator  and  United 
States  Senator,  and  the  north  cajjc,  Brevoort  Cape,  after 
J.  Carson  Brevoort,  a  strong  friend  to  Arctic  discoveries. 
On  arriving  here  we  found  the  mouth  of  Newman  Bay 
open,  the  water  having  numerous  seals  in  it  bobbing  up 
their  heads.     This  open  water  making  close  to  both  Sum- 
ner  Headland  and  Brevoort  Cape,  and  tlie  ice  of  Robeson 
Strait  being  on  the  move,  debarred  all  chance  of  extend- 
ing our  journey  on  the  ice  up  the  Strait.     The  mountain- 
ous laud  (none  other  about  here)  will  not  admit  of  our 


Ulll 


LAST   REPORT   OP   CAPTAIN    HALL. 


699 


journeying  further  north  ;  and  as  the  time  of  oi'r  expected 
absence  was  understood  to  be  for  two  weciks,  we  commence 
our  return  to-morrow  morning.  To-day  we  are  storm- 
bound to  this  our  sixth  encampment.  From  Cape  Bre- 
voort  we  can  see  hind  extending  on  tlic  west  side  of  the 
Btrait  to  north  twenty-two  degrees  west,  and  distant  about 
seventy  miles,  thus  making  the  land  we  discovered  as  far 
as  latitude  83°  5'  north.  There  is  the  appearance  of  land 
farther  north,  and  extending  more  easterly  than  what  I 
have  just  noticed,  but  a  peculiar  dark  nimbus  cloud  that 
constantly  hangs  over  what  seems  to  be  land  prevents  my 
making  a  full  determination.  On  August  31st  the  Polariii 
made  her  greatest  northern  latitude,  82°  29'  north,  bu^^ 
after  several  attempts  to  get  her  farther  north,  she  becamo 
beset,  when  we  were  drifted  down  to  about  81°  30',  when 
an  opening  occurred  westward  out  of  the  pack,  and  made 
harbor  September  3rd,  where  the  Polaris  is — "  (A  corner 
of  the  manuscript  is  here  burned  off") 

"  Up  to  the  time  I  and  ray  i)arty  left  the  ship  all  have 
been  well,  and  continue  with  high  hopes  of  accomplishing 
our  great  missior.  We  find  this  a  much  warmer  country 
than  we  expected.  From  Cape  Alexander  the  mountains 
on  either  side  of  the  Kennedy  Channel  and  Robeson  Strait 
were  found  entirely  bare  of  snow  and  ice,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  glacier  that  we  saw,  commencing  in  about  lati- 
tude 80°  30'  north,  on  the  east  side  of  the  strait,  and  ex- 
tending in  an  east-northeast  direction  as  far  as  can  be  seen 
from  the  mountains  by  Polaris  Bay.  We  have  found  that 
the  country  abounds  with  live  seals,  game,  geese,  ducks, 
musk  cattle,  rabbits,  wolves,  foxes,  bears,  partridges,  len- 
nings,  etc.  Our  sailors  have  shot  two  seals  in  the  open 
waters  while  at  this  encampment. 

"  Our  long  Arctic  night  commenced  October  13th,  hav- 
ing seen  only  the  upper  limb  of  the  sun  above  tho,  glacier 
at  ni'iridian  October  12th. 

"  This  despatch  to  the  Secretary  of  thu  Navy  I  finish  at 


GOO 


FAST   TO   AN    ICEBERG. 


this  moment,  8.23  p.m.,  having  written  it  in  ink  in  our 
snow  hut.  Thermometer  outside  minus  7°.  Yesterday 
all  day  the  thermometer  minus  20°  to  23°— that  is,  20' 
minus  to  23°  mbus  Fahrenheit. 

"C.  F.  Hall." 

After  the  interment  of  Captain  Hall,  Captain  Budding- 
ton  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  expedition.  The 
Polaris  remained  at  her  quarters  in  Thank-God  Harbor 
during  the  winter  and  spring.  The  winter  passed  without 
incident,  except  a  severe  gale  in  the  month  of  November, 
which  caused  the  Polaris  to  drag  her  anchors  and  forced 
her  up  alongside  an  iceberg,  from  which  a  spur  projected 
under  her  bow,  holding  it  securely.  Every  eHort  to  free 
her  from  its  unwelcome  support  proved  abortive,  and  she 
rode  on  the  rest  of  the  winter  with  her  boAV  fast  and  sta- 
tionary, while  her  stern  rose  and  fell  with  the  tide.  Thia 
strained  her  so  that  she  leaked  quite  badly  in  the  spring, 
when  she  got  loose.  This  winter-life  in  the  dark  Avas  ne- 
cessarily very  monotonous,  and  except  occasionally  when 
the  weather  permitted  the  cleaning  of  the  decks  and  other 
similar  work,  the  chief  employment  of  the  officers  and 
men  was  the  devising  of  ways  and  means  of  making  the 
time  pass  as  agreeably  as  possible.  Meanwhile,  the  scien- 
tists of  the  party  availed  themselves  of  every  opportunity 
to  acquire  such  information  as  it  was  their  special  pro- 
vince to  seek. 

The  long  winter  night  at  length  came  to  an  end,  but 
the  Polaris  was  as  yet  so  securely  closed  in  by  ice  that  she 
could  not  be  moved.  On  the  8th  of  June,  1872,  two  boat- 
crews  were  organized,  the  one  under  Captain  Tyson,  the 
other  under  Mr,  Chester,  These  went  forth  "  to  go  as  far 
north  as  they  could  get."  One  of  them  was  lost  in  the  ic« 
soon  after  starting,  but  a  canvas  boat  w;xs  con.structeil,  and 
the  crews  succeeded  in  reaching  Newman's  Bay,  where 
they  were  detained  waiting  for  the  ice  to  break  up  and 


THE   START   FOR   HOME. 


601 


permit  farther  progress.    Captain  Buddington,  however, 
difiappcintcd  their  hopes  by  sending  them,  early  in  July, 
v?ritten  orders  to  return  immediately  to  the  Polaris.    The 
fihil'ting  of  the  ice  had  closed  up  the  channel  by  which 
they  had  come,  and  Tyson  and  Chester  were  compelled  to 
leave  the  boats,  and  walk  back ;  this  was  a  tedious,  fatigu« 
ing  and  even  dangerous  journey.     But,  after  an  absence 
of  six  weeks,  they  at  last  got  safely  to  Thank-God  Harbor. 
During  the  absence  of  Tyson  and  Chester,  the  Polaria 
had  broken  loose  from  her  winter  fastenuigs,  and  Budding- 
ton  tried  to  steam  up  northward  to  pick  up  the  boats,  but 
the  ice  was  too  plenty  and  formidable.    As  soon  as  the 
boat-party  had  returned,  Buddington  determined  to  steer 
forthwith  for  the  United  States,  and  on  the  12th  of  August, 
1872,  he  proceeded  to  carry  out  this  intention.     When  he 
had  gone  some  forty  or  fifty  miles,  the  ice  became  very 
troublesome;  and  notwithstandmg every  possible  effort  waa 
made  to  prevent  it,  the  Polaris  became  inextricably  beset, 
August  15th,  in  latitude  80°  40',  and  waa  for  some  time  in 
extreme  peril,  but  waa  almost  miraculously  saved,  and  got 
again  for  a  while  free  from  the  ice.    She  then  steamed 
southward  till,  in  latitude  80°  2',  it  became  necessary  to 
make  fast  to  a  floating  field  of  ice.    The  vessel  drifted 
with  this  field  down  to  77°  35',  when  they  encountered  a 
lieavy  southwest  gale. 

Captain  Buddington,  realizing  the  possibility  of  having 
to  abandon  the  Polaris,  had  provided  for  the  emergency 
by  having  a  large  quantity  of  provisions,  the  officers'  bag- 
gage, guns,  amuuitiou,  nautical  and  other  instruments,  and 
other  portable  articles  of  value,  removed  to  the  deck,  so 
\hat  they  might  easily  be  passed  from  the  ship  to  the  ice. 
The  boats  were  also  held  in  readiness,  and  a  canvas  shelter 
was  erected  on  the  ice-field. 

After  several  hairbreadth  escapes,  the  crisis  came  on  the 
15th  of  October,  when  a  terrific  gale  added  to  the  dan- 
gers by  which  the  Polaris  was  already  environed.     T)\e 


602 


TESTIMONY    OF   JOHN    IIKHBON. 


jrsile  (lr(i\.  iht  iro  in  upon  her,  and  she  was  raised  out  of 
the  water  and  tliniwn  over  on  her  bean  luh,  and  wua  of 
course  entirely  unmanageable. 

The  Iiniuit  women  and  ehildren  were  at  once  sent  upon 
the  ice  lor  safety,  and  the  boats,  provisions,  etc.,  fullowed; 
ill  the  haate,  many  «  l"  tue  urilck-i  were  in  danger  of  being 
lost,  and  half  the  erew  were  ordered  to  go  down  on  the  ice 
and  see  to  the  placing  of  the  goo<l3  in  (.'omparative  safety. 
Among  those  sent  upon  the  ice  were  Captain  Tysou  and 
Mr.  Meyer,  and  the  lunuits  Joe  and  Hans. 

Scarcely  had  this  much  beea  effected  when,  the  night 
being  dark  and  a  blinding  tnow  steadily  falling,  the  gale, 
Btill  at  itd  height,  forced  the  Polaris  from  her  fastenings, 
and  she  soon  passed  from  sight. 

So  forcibly  does  John  Herron,  in  his  testimony  before 
the  uaval  court  of  inquiry,  state  the  thrilling  incidents 
of  this  terrible  liour  that  we  quote  a  few  extracts  : 

"  I  rememi)er  the  night  we  got  separated  from  the  ship ; 
it  was  the  loth  of  October;  it  was  almost  altogether  dark 
in  that  latitude  then ;  it  happened  in  the  evening ;  wind 
was  blowing ;  cannot  say  if  it  was  snowing ;  it  is  always 
drifting  there ;  the  ice  came  pressing  iu  on  our  starboard 
side;  Captain  Buddington  gave  the  word  for  every  mat 
to  save  what  !io  could,  and  look  out  for  his  life ;  we  had 
everything  brought  ou  dock  for  such  an  occasion ;  every- 
thing was  in  readiness ;  the  first  thing  we  did  was  to  place 
the  women  and  children  on  the  ice,  exjwcting  the  ship  to 
go  down  every  minute;  next  thing  wo  threw  over  provi- 
sions; we  threw  them  so  fast  that  some  of  th^m  were  get- 
ting lost;  Captain  Buddington  sang  out  for  some  of  the 
men  to  get  on  the  ice ;  we  got  on  the  ice  to  move  the  thinga 
back,  and  then  went  aboard  to  get  some  cooking  utensils ; 
1  went  aboard  to  hand  some  things  out;  I  had  been  out 
again  but  a  few  minutes  when  they  sang  out,  '  Lower  the 
boats ;'  the  ice  we  were  on  was  cracking.  The  ship  slipped 
anchor,  and  iu  three  or  four  minutes  we  were  f  4loat    u  dif 


nuMORS  coNCEUNiNa  hall's  death.        603 

ffc.ont  pieces  ol"  ice;  the  ship  went  away  m  tlio  (larkn.-sa; 
Wfi  luul  an  imincnso  quantity  ol'provLsioua,  but  saved  very 
little  of  tiicm." 

We  come  now  to  the  most  thrilling,  soul-stirring  record 
in  tiie  entire  annals  of  perilous  adventures  and  wonderful 
escapes.  Indeed,  the  sufferings,  dangers  and  repeated 
providential  succors  of  the  nineteen  human  beings,  afloat 
on  u  field  of  ice,  for  six  long  months,  three  of  them  in  the 
darkness  of  an  Arctic  winter,  with  the  remarkable  rescue 
by  the  Tigress,  form  a  chapter  of  such  thrilling  interest, 
8ucb  absolute  fascination,  that  it  has  no  parallel. 


'^^■^■<'*' 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

A  ClIAI'TKBOrUsrAIIALI.KI.BnSlIKrRIUNGS  AND  PnoVlIlKNTIAT,  Drlith* 
ANCM.— TmiTHSTRANnKllTIIAN  FiCTIO.S.— TUK  EVKR-UEMOnABLR  16tB 

or  OcTonmi,  1872.— Tiik  Party  om  tur  Ick.— Thb  Fikij)  bROKSN.— . 
Thr  Polaris  Lost  to  Sujiit.— The  Supplies.— Unavailing  Erroiin 
TO  Ukacii  TUK  '  iioiiK.— "  Prkttt  wkll  Starvkd."— Joe  an»  Hani 
Invaloablr  Mkhdkiisoi'thb  PAnxr.— Tiiankroivi.vo  Day.— "Vbrt 
Weak,  diit,  plkasb  (Jon,  we  will  wkaturk  it  all."— Chuistmas  and 
Nbw  Year's  Day.- "Just  as  we  were  played  out,  somktiiino  cami 
ALONo;  TuANKS  TO  Qod's  Holy  Name."- The  Lono  Nijiit  over, 
THK  Gmrioub  Suk  Appears.- "Wk  want  Water  to  Kscape,  and, 
PLEASE  God,  wb  will  qkt  it  whe."«  the  Time  isjhks."-" To-day, 
OoD  HAS  sent  ug  Food  in  Abunda.sce."— Tub  Floe  DnnAKS,  and 
THE  Party  are  Scattered  on  the  Pieces.— They  take  to  the  Uoat 
A.VD  get  on  a  Small  Floe.— Forced  to  throw  away  Clothes  and 
Food.— No  Food,  no  Light.— Washed  Out.— Cannibalism  thought 
OP.— A  Terrible  Night.— The  Crisis.— The  Kkscur.— Sape  os 
Board  the  Tigbess,  and  at  last  in  Port.— Thank  God,  all  Well! 

Truly,  the  night  of  the  15th  of  October,  1872,  cannot 
be  forgotten  in  life  by  any  one  of  the  adults  of  the  nine- 
teen human  beings  who  for  six  weary  months  were  doomed 
to  float  about  among  the  icebergs,  fields  and  floes  of  the 
northern  latitudes,  during  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
time  seeing  no  sun,  but  drifting  in  the  gloomy  darkness 
of  an  Arctic  winter,  often  without  food,  and  with  no 
adequate  shelter  from  the  bleak  winds  and  intense  frosts. 
We  have  seen  how,  on  that  night,  the  gallant  Polaris  was 
beset  by  the  ice;  how  a  tremendous  gale  added  to  her 
peril;  how,  in  the  midst  of  a  blinding  snow-storm,  with 
the  gale  still  at  its  height,  first  the  Innuit  women  and 
children,  then  a  large  amount  of  provisions,  clothing  and 
other  articles  were  transferred  to  the  field  of  ice  to  which 

the  was  anchored;  how  Captain  Tyson  and  a  ijortion  of 
604 


Cait.  CiiAttLKs  Francis  Hxll  and  hi.s  Innuit  Fiuknds. 

|oU7j 


ADRIFT  ON  AN  ICE-RAFT. 


P09 


her  crew  were  sent  upon  the  ice,  together  with  Joe  and 
Hans;  how,  while  they  were  still  busy  getting  the  pro- 
visions,  etc.,  to  the  centre  of  the  field,  into  comparative 
safety,  a  huge  berg  struck  the  field,  breaking  it  into  many 
fragments  and  liberating  the  Polaris;  how  she  was  im- 
mediately  lost  to  the  sight  of  those  upon  the  ice. 

We  must  now  undertake  to  tell  the  almost  moredibly 
wonderful  story  of  the  unparalleled  experiences  of  the 
nineteen  thus  adrift  on  an  ice-raft,  from  the  time  of  the 
Polaris'  passing  from  view  October  15th,  1872,  to  the 
happy  hour  when  the  Tigress  landed  '^he  entire  party  at 
St.  Johns,  Newfoundland.  The  simple  story,  without  em- 
bellishment — it  needs  and  will  admit  of  none — surpasses 
in  thrilling  interest  and  fascinating  romance  any  work  of 
fiction  that  the  most  gifted  of  writers  has  ever  produced. 
Some  of  the  events  are  almost  incredible,  and  require  the 
entire  force  of  the  indubitable  evidence  by  which  they  are 
supported  tc  establish  their  claims  tc  belief;  indeed,  were 
any  writer  of  fiction  to  narrate  such  incidents  as  abound 
in  this  wonderful  history,  he  would  be  laughed  to  scorn  for 
inventing  absurdities. 

We  realize  the  difficulties  we  shall  encounter  in  depict- 
ing the  soul-stirring  scenes,  and  in  stating,  m  the  most 
simple  terms,  the  authenticated  facts,  of  this  history;  but 
if  we  err  at  all,  it  will  not  be  in  exaggerating  m  the  small- 
est degree. 

The  company  upon  the  ice-field,  or  rather  upon  the  frag- 
ments of  the  field,  comprised  Captain  George  E.  Tyson, 
Mr.  Frederck  Meyer  (of  the  scientific  staflTof  the  Polaris), 
Joe  and  his  wife  Hannah  and  their  child,  Hans  Christian 
and  his  wife,  also  named  Hannah,  and  their  four  children, 
and  eight  men  of  the  Polaris  crew — m  all  nineteen,  men, 
women  and  children.  Among  the  eight  last  mentioned 
was  the  steward  of  the  Polaris,  John  Herron,  from  whose 
testimony  at  Washington  we  quoted  in  the  ]  receding 
chapter.     Herron  began,  on  the  first  day  of  theii  remark- 

39 


IP 


610 


COLLISION   WITH    A    BERO. 


able  voyage,  a  diary,  which  he  faithfully  kept  till  the 
rescue;  in  this  he  jotted  down,  dtiy  by  day,  every  incident 
he  deemed  worthy  of  note,  with  comments  of  his  own 
This  diary  is  not  only  iutonscly  interesting,  but  is  exceed- 
ingly valuable,  as  it  affords  a  detailed  history  of  the  oc- 
currences of  each  day  in  its  order  ;  its  interest  is  enhanced 
by  the  elevated  tone  of  pious  dependence  on  God  that 
pervades  the  comments  of  its  author.  AVe  shall  quote 
some  of  its  more  striking  notes,  and  shall  be  guided  by  it 
in  the  chronological  arrangement  of  the  narrative.  \Ve 
give,  by  way  of  introduction,  Herron's  first  entry  : 

October  15. — Gale  from  the  southwest ;  ship  made  fast 
to  floe;  bergs  pressed  in  and  nipped  the  ship  until  we 
thought  she  was  going  down ;  threw  provisions  overboard, 
and  nineteen  souls  got  on  the  floe  to  receive  them  and 
h.aul  them  up  on  the  ice.  A  large  berg  came  sailing  down, 
struck  the  floe,  shivered  it  to  pieces,  and  freed  tlie  ship. 
She  was  out  of  sight  in  five  minutes.  We  were  afloat  on 
diflerent  pieces  of  ice.  We  had  two  boats.  Our  men  wore 
picked  up,  myself  among  them,  and  landed  on  the  main 
floe,  which  we  found  to  be  cracked  in  many  places.  Saved 
very  little  provisions. 

October  16. — We  remained  shivering  all  night.  Morn- 
ing fine ;  light  breeze  from  the  north  ;  close  to  the  east 
shore.  The  berg  that  did  so  rauc  damage  half  a  mile 
to  the  northeast  of  us.  Captain  Tyson  reports  a  small 
island  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  berg  and  close  to  the 
land.  Plenty  of  open  water.  We  lost  no  time  in  launch- 
ing the  boats,  getting  tlie  provisions  in  and  pulling  around 
tlie  berg,  when  we  saw  the  Polaris.  She  had  steam  up., 
und  succeeded  in  getting  a  harbor.  She  got  under  the  lee 
of  an  i/^land  and  came  down  with  her  sail-  set — jib,  lore- 
sail,  mainsail  and  staysail.  She  must  have  seen  us,  as  the 
island  was  four  or  five  miles  off.  We  expected  her  to 
save  us,  as  there  was  plenty  of  open  water,  beset  with  ice, 
which  I  think  she  could  have  gotten  through,    in  the  eve- 


CAPTAIN   BIDDI^QTON   EXONERATED. 


en 


riing  we  started  with  the  boats  for  shore.  Had  we  reached 
it,  we  could  have  walked  on  board  in  one  hour,  but  the 
ice  set  in  so  fast  when  near  the  shore  that  we  could  not 
pull  through  it.  We  had  a  narrow  escape  in  jumping 
from  piece  to  piece,  with  the  painter  in  hand,  until  wf» 
reached  the  floe.  We  dragged  the  boat  two  or  three  hun- 
dred yards,  to  a  high  place,  where  we  thought  she  would 
be  secure  until  morning,  and  made  for  our  provisions, 
which  were  on  a  distant  part  of  the  floe.  We  were  too 
much  worn  out  with  hunger  and  fatigue  to  bring  her  along 
to-night,  and  it  is  nearly  dark.  We  cannot  see  our  other 
lioat  or  our  provisions;  the  snow-drift  haa  covered  our 
late  tracks. 

Quite  a  large  supply  of  provisions  had  been  thrown 
from  the  ship  on  the  ice ;  but  owing  to  the  blinding  snow 
an''  the  darkness  of  the  night,  the  breaking  of  the  ice 
caused  the  loss  of  the  greater  part.  When  they  first 
/'v)und  themselves  left  on  the  ice,  Captain  Tyson  and  his 
party  were  not  alarmed,  believing  that  the  Polaris  would 
return  and  pick  them  up  if  she  herself  escaped.  On  the 
Kith  they  saw  her,  and  made  signals  to  attract  her  atten- 
tion, but  to  no  efllect.  Many  have  thought,  that  Captaic 
Buddington  willfully  de-erted  them,  and  left  them  to  a 
probable  death  .vhcu  he  might  have  rescued  them.  But 
the  testimony  of  Captain  Tyson,  Mr.  ^leyer,  John  Her- 
ron  and  the  others  before  Secretary  Robeson  does  not  af- 
ford ground  for  such  suspicions.  Herron  said  distinctly  : 
"  I  don't  think  Captain  Buddington  meant  to  abandon  us ; 
he  either  thought  we  could  easily  get  ashore,  or  else  he 
could  not  get  through  the  ice ;  I  don't  think  he  would  do 
anything  of  the  kind ;  standing  oa  the  ship,  you  would 
naturally  think  we  could  get  ashore  ;  it  may  have  looked 
to  him  that  we  were  right  under  Jie  lee  of  the  shore ;  it  is 
very  likely  that  he  thought  we  L'ould  get  ashore,  and  that 
he  didn't  understand  our  signals."  Finding  that  the  Polaris 
was  not  coming  to  them,  Captain  Tyson  thought  it  pes- 


612 


AN    ATTEMPT   TO   REACH    THE   SHORE. 


if 


sible  for  thorn  to  go  to  her,  as  she  lay  quite  near  the  shore ; 
tlie  boat  was  dragged  some  distance  and  hvunched,  but  the 
j)ack-ice  was  too  dense  for  it  to  be  pushed  througli,  and 
they  had  to  abandon  the  attempt.  Their  floe  was  drift- 
ing steaddy  to  the  south  and  south-west.  During  the  en- 
Buiug  wiek  nothing  notable  occurred.  There  were  a 
goodly  number  of  seals  about,  and  the  Esquimaux  en- 
deAvored  to  shoot  some,  but  succeeded  in  getting  but  three. 
Their  floe  coming  into  contact  with  fast  ice,  an  attemjit 
was  made  to  reach  the  shore,  but  the  ice  was  too  thin  to 
bear  them.  On  the  23d  they  discovered  their  other  boat 
and  tent,  ois  a  separate  floe,  with  some  dangerously  thiu 
ice  between ;  but  knowing  that  there  was  a  considerable 
supply  of  provisions  wiJi  the  tent  and  boat,  while  the  tent 
and  b(jat  would  themselves  be  useful,  a  determined  eflbrt 
v<uti  iiuide  to  rea','h  them,  which  resulted  in  success.  On  the 
strength  of  the  large  addition  to  their  stores  thus  secured 
the  whole  party  indulged  in  a  hearty  meal.  At  the  teut, 
too,  there  was  dome  lumber,  so,  on  the  next  morning,  four 
of  the  men  were  sent  to  bring  over  planks  to  build  a 
tledge,  and  the  sledge  was  j)ut  into  requisition  to  carry 
o\er  additional  articles  from  the  tent,  trips  being  made 
daily,  until,  on  the  27th, they  Lad  brought  over  to  the  main 
floe  the  tent  and  everything  they  could  iind. 

The  morning  of  the  31.st  broke  beautifully,  though  it 
was  very  cold.  A  party  was  sent  out  to  test  the  strength 
of  the  ice  between  the  floe  and  the  shore,  with  a  view  to 
an  effort  Lo  reach  the  latter  by  moans  of  sledges  and  drag- 
ging the  boats  laden  with  their  stores.  They  thought  that 
on  the  shore  they  should  be  able  to  procure  game,  and 
thus  have  fresh  meat,  which  was  a  rare  treat  on  the  ice. 
The  scouts  appear  to  have  brought  back  a  liivoriible  re- 
port, as  on  the  day  f(jllowing  the  effort  wiis  made,  the  first 
objective  point  being  a  large  ice-field  which  lay  about 
four  miles  from  their  floe,  and  about  one-third  nearer  the 
laud.    After  a  day's  hard  work,  they  g(  t  started,  with  the 


BEAR-TRACKS  AND  SEAL-HOLES,  BUT  SO  FOOD.     613 

two  boats  loaded  w  ith  their  provisions  and  the  sledge  with 
bedcovering,  skins,  canvas  and  poles.  They  had  to  leave 
a  good  deal  of  valuable  stuft*  behind  for  want  of  transpor- 
tation. They  had  not  made  much  headway  before  the 
breaking  of  the  ice  compelled  them  to  return  to  their 
former  quarters.  Then  a  severe  snow-storm  set  in,  and 
they  ahaiidoned  all  idea  of  moving  from  their  floe  for  a 
time.  On  the  6th  of  November  they  were  somewhat 
alarmed  by  Captain  Tyson  becoming  suddenly  ill.  He 
Boon  recovered.  A  seal  caught  by  Joe  proved  quite  a 
godsend.  To  make  time  pass  more  cheerily,  Mr.  Meyer 
made  a  pack  of  cards  out  of  some  stout  paper,  and  the 
men  amused  themselves  with  euchre.  After  the  snow- 
storm they  utilized  the  snow  by  building  huts,  which  ma- 
terially enhanced  their  comfort.  For  some  days  nothing 
out  of  the  ordinary  routine  occurred.  The  weather  was 
bad  and  kept  them  close  prisoners  in  their  snow-huts. 
Meanwhile,  their  ice-raft  was  drifting  swiftly  to  the  south, 
and  land  disap]ieared.  Joe  and  Hans,  their  fresh-meat 
l)roviders,  were  unable  to  procure  seals  or  any  other  ani- 
mals; they  saw  seals  and  bear  and  fox  tracks,  but  nothing 
came  within  their  reach.  On  Tuesday,  November  19th, 
there  was  some  excitement  among  the  men  in  consequeiice 
of  the  Esq\iimaux  falling  in  with  two  bear  tracks  and  five 
seal  holes.  As  the  provisions  were  getting  short,  and  the 
party  were  suflhriug  terribly  from  cold  and  hunger,  what 
a  God's  blessini.;  it  \.ould  be  if  a  bear  could  be  shot  or  a 
seal  or  two  caughi,!  How  tantalizing  it  was  to  see  these 
evidences  of  bears  and  seals  and  not  be  able  to  reach 
them!  Their  dogs  got  ravenously  hungry  and  attacked 
their  already  diminished  stores,  and  they  found  it  neces- 
sary to  shoot  five  of  them.  This  was  a  serious  loss,  as  dogs 
would  jn-ove  very  valuable  in  the  event  of  an  opporti'nity 
to  rcaf'h  the  shore  on  ice ;  they  had  but  four  dogs  left 
now,  and  five  days  later  had  to  shoot  two  o*'  these, 

John  Ilerron's  diary  tells  the  story  of  Thanksgiving 


I 


eu 


TnANKSOIVINO   DAT. 


day  concisely,  and  so  well  that  we  copy  it  instead  of  at- 
tempting to  tell  it  ourself : 

"Thursday,  Nov.  28. — Thanksgiving  to-day;  we  have 
had  a  least — four  pint  cans  of  mock  turtle  soup,  six  pint 
cam  of  green  corn,  made  into  scoucb.  Afternoon,  three 
ounces  of  bread  and  the  last  of  our  chocolate — our  day's 
fea.«t.     All  well." 

The  next  day,  the  29th,  they  did  not  fare  so  well ;  tliey 
had  to  be  content  with  boiled  seal-skin ;  but  the  thick- 
ness of  the  hair  l)affled  the  masticatory  powers  of  soino 
of  them. 

We  make  further  extracts  from  the  same  source,  show- 
ing the  straits  they  were  reduced  to: 

"December  2. — No  open  water  has  been  seen  for  several 
days;  cannot  catch  anything.  Land  has  been  seen  for 
several  days;  cannot  determine  what  shore  it  is,  E.  orW. 
It  has  been  so  cloudy  that  we  cannot  select  a  star  to  go  by ; 
some  tliink  it  is  the  E.  land;  for  ray  part,  I  think  it  Is  the 
VV.  Boiled  some  seal-skin  to-day  and  ate  it — blubber,  Jiair 
and  tough  skin.  The  men  ate  it;  I  could  not.  The  hair  is 
too  thick,  and  we  have  no  means  of  getting  it  off. 

"December  5. — Light  wind;  alittle  thick;  15°  below  zero. 
A  fox  came  too  near  to-day;  Bill  Lindemann  shot  him; 
skinned  and  cut  him  up  for  cooking.  Fox  in  this  country 
is  all  hair  and  hair. 

"  December  G. — Very  light  wind;  cold  and  clear.  The  poor 
fox  was  devoured  to-day  by  seven  of  the  men,  wlio  liked 
it;  they  had  a  mouthful  each  for  their  share;  I  did  not 
think  it  worth  while,  myself,  to  commence  with  so  small 
an  allowance,  so  I  did  not  try  Mr.  Fox.  Last  night  fine 
northern  lights. 

"December  8. — All  in  good  health.  The  only  thing  that 
troubles  us  is  hunger — that  is  very  severe ;  we  feel  some- 
times as  though  we  could  eat  each  other.  Very  weak,  but, 
please  God,  we  will  wt'utlier  it  all. 

"December  1>]. — Light  wind;  cloudy;  19"  lei.  zero.  Hans 


THE   CHRISTMAS   FEAST. 


61d 


3aught  a  smivll  while  fox  in  a  trap  yesterday.  The  night* 
are  brilliant,  cohl  and  clear.  The  scene  is  charming,  if 
we  were  only  in  a  position  to  appreciate  't. 

"X>c(;eHi/>er  20.— Light  wind;  cloudy.  Joe  found  a  crack 
yesterday  and  three  seals.  Too  dark  to  shoot.  It  is  a  good 
thing  to  have  game  underneath  us.  It  would  be  much 
better  to  have  them  on  the  floe  for  starving  men. 

"December  22.— Calm  and  clear  as  a  bell;  the  best  twi- 
light  we  have  seen  for  a  mouth.  It  must  have  bceu  cloudy 
or  we  are  drifting  south  fast.  Our  spirits  are  up,  but  the 
body  is  Aveak;  15°  below  zero." 

They  began  now  to  count  the  days  until  they  could  ex- 
pect the  sun  to  shine  forth,  with  how  much  joy  we  can 
partially  imagine,  when  we  recollect  that  for  nearly  three 
months  he  had  hidden  his  glorious  face,  and  they  had  been 
groping  in  the  darkness  of  an  Arctic  winter.  John  Her- 
ron  must  tell  us  of  their  Christmas  and  New  Year's  days: 

"December  24. — Christmas  Eve.  We  are  longing  for  to- 
morrow, when  we  shall  have  quite  a  fei-..^— half  pound  of 
raw  ham,  which  we  have  been  saving  nearly  a  month  for 
Chrisiinas.  A  month  ago  our  ham  gave  out,  so  we  saved 
tills  for  the  feast.  Yesterday,  9  degrees  below  zero;  to- 
day, 4  degrees  above  zero. 

"December  25. — This  is  a  day  of  jubilee  at  home,  and 
certainly  here  for  us;  for  besides  the  approaching  day- 
light, which  we  feel  thankful  to  God  for  sparing  us  to  see, 
we  have  (juite  a  feast  to-day — one  ounce  of  bread  extra 
per  man,  which  made  our  soup  for  breakfast  a  little  thicker 
(lian  for  dinner.  We  had  soup  made  from  a  pound  of 
seal  blood,  which  we  had  saved  for  a  month  ;  a  two-pound 
can  of  sausage  meat,  the  liist  of  the  canned  meat ;  a  few 
ounces  of  seal,  which  we  saved  with  the  blood,  all  cut  up 
fine;  last  of  our  can  of  apples,  which  we  saved  also  for 
(•hristraas.  The  whole  was  boiled  to  a  thick  soup,  which 
I  think  was  the  sweetest  meal  I  ever  ate.  This,  with  half 
pound  ot  ham  and  two  ounces  of  bread,  gave  u.^  our  Christ- 


016 


THREE   CHEEKS    FOR    TIIi:    S^VS. 


mas  dinner.  Then,  in  the  evening,  wo  had  our  usual  liln 
Boup.     So  ended  Christmas  Day. 

"January  1, 1873. — Poor  dinner  for  New  Year's  Day— 
mouldr  hread  and  sliort  allowance." 

An  observation  made  by  Mr.  Meyer  on  the  evening  of 
January  6th  showed  that  their  iloc  liad  drifted  into  lati- 
tude Tl"  T  north,  longitude  60°  40'  45"  w(!9t.  This  was 
Buch  good  news  that  our  friend  John  says  that  he  treated 
himself  to  an  extra  pipe  of  tobacco ;  ho  still  seems  to 
write  in  most  happy  spirits,  although  the  thermometer  was 
down  to  31  below  zero,  with  no  tire;  they  had  even  to 
cook  their  scanty  meat  by  means  of  a  lamp.  His  entry 
for  January  16th  is  well  worth  a  place : 

"January  16th. — No  w  ind ;  very  thick.  The  glass  ranges 
from  26  degrees  to  31  degrees  below  zero.  Iluns  caught 
a  seal  to-day,  thank  God,  for  we  are  very  weak.  Our 
light  would  have  been  finished  to-morrow,  and  our  cook- 
ing also.  But  God  sent  this  seal  to  save  us ;  thanks  to  his 
holy  name  I  It  has  been  so  all  the  time.  Just  lus  we  were 
played  out  something  came  along.  I  am  afraid  I  have  a 
touch  of  the  scurvy.  A  little  raw  meat  will  drive  it  out, 
I  hope." 

There  is  little  of  moment  to  record  about  this  time,  but 
Herron's  diary  scarcely  flags  in  interest ;  a  few  short  items 
will  certainly  prove  interesting,  ms  they  show  the  hope* 
and  fears  and  the  unwavering  trust  in  God  of  this  good 
man : 

"January  19. — Clear ;  light  wind ;  39  degrees  below  zero. 
The  sun  has  made  his  appearance  to-day.  We  gave  him 
three  cheers,  hoping  we  will  be  able  to  start  a  month  from 
now.  Thank  God  for  this  day !  we  have  long  wished  to 
see  it.  The  sun  has  brought  us  luck  in  the  way  of  a  seal 
Joe  caught.  The  finest  display  of  nortliern  lights  that  I 
ever  saw  came  off  to-night.  A  j)arty  wont  about  six  miles 
to-day  to  open  water,  whore  they  saw  many  seals. 

"January  20. — Light  wind  noi  th ;  very  cloudy  and  thick ; 


Captain  Gkoboe  E.  Tyson. 


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RESULTS   OF   THE   EXPEDITION. 


619 


84  degrees  below  zero.  The  sun  has  not  made  his  appear- 
ance to-day.  We  have  not  seen  the  east  shore  yet.  I 
hope  to  see  the  island  of  Disco ;  the  laud  is  very  high 
there,  but  I  am  afraid  we  will  drift  past  it.  We  cannot 
help  ourselves,  however.  We  are  in  the  hands  of  God, 
and  I  am  thankful.  Hans  shoe  a  dovekie.  I  hope  he 
will  ^^ive  it  to  his  boy. 

"JixH  wary  27.— Calm;  very  cold;  mercury  frozen ;  thick 
this  morning;  clearing  up  now.  The  sun  is  out.  Mr. 
Meyer  took  an  altitude  of  the  sun  to-day  and  an  observa- 
tion from  a  star  last  night.  He  makes  it  latitude  69°  32'. 
Godhavn,  in  the  island  of  Disco,  is  in  69°  13',  that  leaves  u^ 
nineteen  miles  north  of  our  storehouse,  which  I  am  afiaid 
we  will  never  see.  God  knows  where  we  will  fetch  up. 
Mr,  Meyer  thinks  we  are  forty-two  miles  from  the  east 
shore;  but  I  am  afraid  he  does  not  know  much  about  it. 

"February  4.— A  gale  from  the  west;  very  thick  snow- 
drift. I  seldom  see  it  snow  here,  for  when  it  is  blowing 
hard  the  snow  comes  like  flour  with  the  wind.  Whether 
the  snow  falls  or  the  wind  takes  it  up  from  the  ice  I  can- 
not tell,  but  it  is  so  fine  and  tliick  you  cannot  sec.  There 
IS  no  leaving  the  hut  in  such  weather,  as  the  snow  is  always 
either  drifting  or  falling  with  the  blow  no  matter  from 
what  quarter.  Then  there  is  no  going  out,  as  it  fills  the 
eyes,  and  will  penetrate  almost  anything.  The  tempera- 
ture to-day  has  been  from  16°  to  10°  below  zero.  All  are 
well,  thank  God,  but  me.  I  have  a  slight  touch  of  the 
scurvy  and  feel  very  ailing,  but,  please  God,  it  will  soon 
leave  me.  We  hope  when  tliis  blow  is  over  we  shall  see 
the  land  and  have  a  little  open  water." 

On  the  7th,  Hans  secured  a  fine  seal,  and  shot  a  large 
narwhal,  or  sea-unicorn,  but  he  turned  beli/up  and  sank. 
The  half-.tarved  party  felt  this  as  an  actual  loss,  as  this 
one  nar>vhal  would  have  supplied  food  for  nearly  a  month. 
The  next  day  five  or  six  more  were  shot,  but  all  got  away 
under  the  ice.    On  the  16th,  a  large  uuirber  of  whdas 


I: 


620 


RESULTS   OP   THE    EXPEDITION. 


-4      ' 


',    . 


were  seen,  but  they  were  an  unwelcome  sight,  as  Ilerron 
tells  118,  "they  frighten  away  the  seals,  which  we  are  so 
badly  in  want  of."  They  had  been  expecting  to  see  laud 
lor  days,  but  none  was  visible  as  yet,  while  the  ice  around 
them  was  piled  up  "as  high  as  the  mast  of  a  shij)."  No 
wonder  that  even  John  ilcrron's  heroic  courage  faltered  ; 
Btill  his  trust  in  God  would  not  abate:  "We  want  water  to 
escape,  and,  please  God,  we  will  have  it  when  the  time 
comes."  At  last,  on  the  19th,  the  welcome  shout  "Land 
ho!"  filled  their  hearts  Avith  joy.  It  was  thought  to  be 
Cape  Walsingham.  The  next  day  it  had  again  passed 
from  sight — we  let  our  friend  John  speak : 

"February  20. — Calm, and  very  thick.  AVatcr  around; 
cannot  see  land.  The  seals  are  very  scarce  here.  I  hope 
we  will  soon  strike  better  ground.  We  must  soon  get  a 
good  lead  of  water  ruiniing  in  shore,  and  so  escape,  or  kill 
plenty  of  seals  to  live  on,  or  else  our  time  in  this  world 
will  be  short.  But  God's  will  be  done.  Shot  some  small 
birds  yesterday  and  to-day,  called  dovekics.  Temperature 
11°  to  4°  below  zero." 

For  the  next  three  days  the  land  was  not  visible,  but  on 
the  24th  it  Avas  again  seen.  Tlie  sight  was,  hoAvever,  taiita- 
lizing.  It  appeared  to  be  about  twenty  miles  off,  and  a 
large  quantity  of  light  snoAV  that  covered  the  ice  made  it 
impossible  to  pull  a  boat  any  distance.  Herron's  diary 
note  of  this  date  shoAvs  that,  while  he  choerfully  acquiesced 
in  the  decision  of  Captain  Tyb  and  the  majority  of  the 
party,  he  thought  (and  the  Esquimaux  secretly  agreed 
with  him)  it  the  better  plan  to  leave  the  boats  behind,  and, 
making  a  light  sleigh  out  of  skins,  endeavor  to  roach  the 
shore;  it  also  shoAvs  his  justly  high  estimate  of  the  in- 
valuable services  rendered  the  party  by  Joe  and  Hannah: 

"February  24. — Very  light  Avind;  thick;  below  zero.  Can 
Bee  the  land,  but  cannot  start.  Such  a  quantity  of  light 
BDow  has  fallen,  and  you  sink  into  it  so,  that  it  Avould  !»© 
impossible  to  get  the  boat  through  it.     Laud  i»  twoniy 


PAST   TO   AN   ICEBERG, 


621 


miles  off,  I  Hliould  siiy,  and  we  appear  to  be  leaving  it. 
My  advice  is  to  start  for  it — making  a  sleigh  out  of  some 
Bparc  skins,  loading  it  with  provisions  and  chtthiug,  and 
the  rake  to  ferry  us  across  the  cracks ;  also  aninuuiition  for 
hunting  purj)f)ses  when  we  get  on  shore.  By  that  means 
\vc  could  leave  the  boat  and  travel  light,  for  it  is  my  opin- 
ion that  we  will  never  get  the  boat  over  the  ice  any  db- 
tance.  We  seem  to  have  left  the  sealing  ground.  We 
cannot  catch  anything  to  speak  of,  and  we  have  only  three 
weeks'  provisions  left.  Captain  Tyson  and  some  of  the  men 
arc  afraid  to  venture  in  shore  and  unwilling  to  h  ave  the 
boat;  so  we  have  made  up  our  minds  to  stay,  come  down 
in  our  provisions  and  trust  in  God,  hoping  we  may  drift 
on  a  better  sealing  ground,  and  thus  live  through  it.  I 
usked  the  Esquimaux'  opinion  about  it — what  they  would 
do  if  they  had  not  us  to  influence  them.  They  told  me 
they  would  start  for  land  (lirectly  they  saw  it.  They  do 
not  like  to  speak  their  minds  openly  for  fear  something 
might  hapjien,  meaning  they  would  be  blamed  for  it;  so 
they  are  silent,  following  only  the  advice  and  opinions  of 
others.  Joe  is  very  nmch  to  be  praised;  also  his  wife 
Hannah.  We  may  thank  them  and  God  for  our  lives  and 
the  good  health  we  are  in.  We  could  never  have  gotten 
through  this  far  without  them.  If  we  ever  get  out  of  this 
difficulty  they  can  never  be  paid  too  much.  Joe  caught  a 
very  small  seal,  which  makes  the  eighth  this  month. 
Northern  lights  very  brilliant  to-night.     All  well." 

They  found  it  necessary  to  split  up  one  of  their  boats 
for  ftiel.  As  we  have  before  intimated,  seal-oil  was  their 
chief  fuel — it  gave  them  light  and  the  means  to  cook  such 
food  as  they  had,  and  to  melt  ice  for  water;  hence  the 
scarcity  of  seals  caused  them  no  little  distress,  independent 
01  their  value  as  food. 

On  the  28th,  Hans  discovered  the  track  of  a  large  bear, 
and  a  party  started  in  pursuit.  He  broke  through  the 
thin  ice  at  a  crack  and  swam  away — a  sad  disappoint  mout 


If 


IV      1 
I?'  <'  '  ■", 


-fit. 


622       AN  ooajooK  supplies  meat  and  oil. 

to  the  hungry  pursuers.     Tliey  succeeded,  however,  in 
shooting  a  number  of  dovekies,  which,  with  a  few  they 
had  been  saving  for  some  days,  made  enough  for  one  fair 
meal,  and  nearly  enough  for  a  second.     The  dovekies  are 
a  small  bird,  little  prized  for  eating  when  men  have  the 
privilege  of  choosing,  but,  under  the  circumstances,  our 
friends  of  the  ice-raft  were  thankful  even  for  them.     The 
allowance  was  two  per  man  (or  woman),  and  weie  quite 
palatable  boiled  in  the  soup  which  was  the  usual  fare  in 
the  ice-raft  hotel.     The  fbllowuig  Sunday,  March  2d,  the 
entire  party  were  made  happy  by  Joe,  who  had  the  good 
fortune  to  shoot  what  Hcrron  styles  an  "oogjook,"  prob- 
ably a  species  of  seal;  but  whatever  it  Vvus,  it  was  so  large 
that  it  required  the  combined  strength  of  all  the  men  to 
get  him  "  home."    Besides  the  oogjook,  they  secured  forty- 
two  dovekies.     John  says  that  they  nuw  had  "  plenty  of 
meat  and  oil ;"  and  as  we  have  seen,  the  latter  was  an  im- 
portant article  to  our  ice-navigators.     He  adds  :  "  That 
was  a  good  Sunday's  work— dragging  the  fine  fellow  to 
the  hut,  and  thanking  God  for  his  mercies.     All  well  and 
happy,"     On  the  6th  a  violent  gale  from  the  northwest, 
with  a  heavy  snow-drift,  kept  all  but  Joe  v/ithin  the  hut ; 
Joe  could  not  be  kept  in.     Herron  says  of  Joe :  "  He  is  a 
first-rate  fellow.     We  should  have  been  dead  men  lonj; 
since,  had  it  not  been  for  him,"   The  thermometer  got  down 
to  30°  below  zero.    On  the  6th  the  entire  party  were  quite 
sick  with  headache  and  general   derangement  of  their 
stomachs,  caused  by  eating  the  liver  of  the  "oogjook;" 
possibly  in  their  half-starved  condition  they  had  eaten  too 
much.     Herron's  note  on  the  7th  shows  that  the  gale  had 
abated,  but  a  stiff  breeze  still  kept  the  snow  drifting.    He 
eays:  "There  are  immense  icebergs  all  around  our  floe. 
There  was  a  fearful  noise  all  last  night,  which  kept  ua 
awake;  the  floe  was  cracking,  splitting  and  working  in 
the  most  fearful  manner,  just  like  a  park  of  artillery  and 
musketry ;  1  expected  every  momout  to  see  it  split  into  a 


EVEIlYTIIINa    BROKEN    UP. 


623 


thousand  pieces.  I  feel  very  bad  yet  in  my  head  and 
Btomat'li.  Tiie  liver  of  bear  and  oogjook,  they  say,  is  very 
dangerous  to  cat ;  but  what  is  a  hungry  man  to  do  ?  We 
have  eaten  the  seals,  hair,  skin  and  everything  about 
them,  and  been  glad  to  get  them."  The  night  of  the  10th 
was  a  horrible  one.  We  let  John  Herrou  tell  the  story 
of  the  10th,  11th  and  12th: 

"March  11.— Blowing  a  strong  gale  yet.  All  handg 
were  up  last  night  and  dressed,  ready  for  a  jump,  for  the 
ice  was  splitting,  crashing  and  making  a  fearful  noise  all 
night.  To-day  has  been  a  fearful  day— cannot  see,  for 
snow-drift.  We  know  the  floe  is  broken  into  small  pieces. 
We  are  afloat,  jumping  and  kicking  about.  This  is  not 
very  pleasant.  My  hope  is  in  God.  Thermometer  6  de- 
grees above  zero. 

"March  12.— Last  night  was  a  fearful  night  of  suspense 
—ice  creaking  and  breaking,  the  gale  roaring  and  the 
water  swa&hing,  but  where?  We  know  it  is  around  us, 
but  we  cainiot  see  anything.  Since  one  o'clock  this  morn- 
i!ig  the  wind  has  been  going  down,  thank  God !  and  now 
I  can  see  around.  A  nice  picture !  Everything  broken 
up  into  small  pieces.  The  best  piece  we  are  on.  The 
huts  are  nearly  covered.  Afternoon.— It  has  calmed  down 
to  a  fine  day,  with  a  light  breeze.  Joe  caught  two  seals, 
and  Hans  caught  one.  Captain  Tyson  also  caught  one. 
Joe  caught  three  dovekies  and  the  cook  two,  showing  how 
good  God  is  to  us.     From'  6  to  10  degrees  below  zero." 

We  cannot  but  recognize  the  hand  of  God  in  the  escape 
of  the  entire  party  in  such  imminent  perils — not  one  lost, 
though  there  were  two  women  and  five  helpless  children 
in  the  party.  Thus,  all  safe,  on  the  largest  piece  of  their 
floe  which  had  so  long  borne  them,  the  following  ten 
days  passed  without  incident,  until,  on  the  22d.  we  find 
the  following  in  John's  diary: 

"March  22.— Splt-ndid  day;  very  light  wind,  wast- 
BoitJiwest.     The  firet  day  of  spring;  thank  God  we  have 


■ 

1 

!H 

624 


A    HUGE    BLADDEKNOSE. 


lived  to  see  it— The  suu  shines  very  powerfully '  tit  \vui-A 
I  think  so.  10  degrees  to  12  dogrcea  heluw  zero.  Joe 
caught  two  seals  to-day." 

They  now  were  in  a  better  state  as  regarded  food,  aa 
seals  were  secured  almost  daily. 

On  the  night  of  litarch  30tli  there  was  a  terrific  gale, 
and  a  huge  iceberg  within  ten  or  twelve  yards  of  the  h»it, 
and  grinding  against  the  floe,  threatened  the  ice-raft  with 
total  destruction,  in  which  case  certain  death  awaited  all. 
The  men,  however,  succeeded  in  launching  the  boat,  and 
awaited    the  anticipated   doom,   but  the  floe,  although 
reduced  again  in  size,  was  saved.    A  huge  "bladdcrnose" 
and   her   pup  got  on   one  end  of  the  floe,  and   when 
approached,  she  showed  fight,  but  was  fortunately  shot 
and  secured.    A  considerable  amount  of  milk  wus  obtained 
from  her,  and  that  night  the  men  had  some  excellent  soup, 
and  also  some  good  sausage  made  from  the  bear  that  had 
been  previously  shot.     On   March  31st  an  observation 
made  by  ^Ir.  INleyer  showed  that  for  the  previous  five 
days  the  party  had  drifted  23  miles  per  day.    The  ice- 
raft  was  steadily  getting  smaller  and  smaller,  to  the  great 
fear  of  the  party,  rnd  it  seemed  as  though  the  voyagers 
were  drifting  out  into  the  open  ocean.    They  wore  nearly 
off  Cape  Farewell,  and  a  very  heavy  sea'  had  the  cflect 
of  driving  off  all  vestiges  of  ice  from  the  vicinity  of  their 
floe  for  the  time  being ;  the  morning  brought  much  of  it 
back. 

The  strong  wind  and  rough  sea  made  their  position  on 
the  ice  critical,  and  yet  rendered  it  impossible  to  take  to 
the  boat;  as  Herron  says,  their  only  course  was  to  "  watch 
and  wait,  and  trust  in  God."  They  were  still  catching 
seals  and  their  calves  from  the  floes  passing  them.  Wo 
lei  the  diary  speak  for  the  1st  and  2d  of  April : 

""April  1.— Wind  northwest.  A  fearful  night  last  night. 
Catuiot  stay  on  our  floe;  nuist  Iciive  it  at  once.  Oct 
under   wav   at   eight   a.  y     the   boat  taking  ir.    water. 


IN    A    VERY   LAD    FIX. 


G25 


liOiided  too  deep.  Tlirow  overboard  100  pounds  of  moat; 
must  tlirow  away  all  our  clothes.  Cannot  carry  anything 
but  the  tout  and  a  I'vw  skiri.s  to  cover  us  with,  a  little  meat 
and  our  bread  and  peinmican.  Made  ten  to  lifteeu  miles 
Bouth  and  three  or  four  miles  west  from  eight  A.  M.  to 
twelve  noon.  We  landed  (that  is,  on  a  floe)  to  lightou 
our  boat,  pitched  our  tent,  and  intend  stopping  all  night. 
Caught  a  young  seal  as  soon  as  we  got  on  the  ice.  When 
we  lel't  this  morning,  1'2  degrees  above  zero.  Tliis  after- 
noon spent  iu  nuiking  from  canvas  washboards  for  the 
boat  to  keep  her  dry.  Caught  two  more  seals.  This 
piece  of  ice  is  not  very  safe ;  it  is  cracking.  All  well. 
Splendid  weather  this  afternoon. 

"April  2. — Lovely  last  night.  The  floe  lost  several 
pieces.  I  could  not  sleep  fur  two  reasons — the  ice  break- 
ing up  and  too  cold.  Had  to  keep  iu  motion  to  keep 
warm.  Started  at  five  A.  jr. ;  the  weather  very  fine  and 
calm.  Worked  the  oars  for  two  hours ;  then  a  breeze 
sprung  up,  and  increasc<l  until  it  blew  almost  a  gale.  We 
made  several  narrow  escapes  with  our  boat  before  we 
could  find  a  piece  of  ice  safe  to  land  on,  and  when  we  did 
she  was  making  water  fa!<t.  When  emptied,  we  found  a 
hole  in  her  side,  which  we  are  repairing  this  afternoon. 
Weather  still  very  bad.  We  are  iu  a  very  bad  fix. 
Caught  a  seal.    All  well." 

The  loss  of  their  hut  in  deserting  their  ice-raft  rendered 
almost  constant  exercise  needful  to  avoid  freezing.  They, 
however,  constructed  temi)orary  huts  when  they  stojjped 
long  eufiugh  on  a  floe.  We  turn  to  the  diary  again,  and 
tliis  time  nuike  a  long  extract ;  the  hcrrors  of  the  days 
and  nights  from  the  1st  of  April  to  the  10th  can  be  tcld 
best  by  one  who  shared  in  them  • 

"April  o. — Repaired  our  boat, and  started  at  8.45  A.  M., 
wind  ahead;  yesterday  S.  W. ;  to-day  calm.  Pulled  three 
hours,  when  a  breeze  sprung  up  from  N.  N.  W.  We  ke))t 
under  way  until  2.3  U  p  M.,  when  we  had  to  haul  up  on  a 

40 


dp  ill 


■w-f 
I- ft 

If 


620 


AT   TIIK   MEUCY    OF   TUB    ELEMENTS. 


y  f 


Lf 


piece  of  a  floe.  Wo  were  besot  by  tbe  ico,  luiil  could  not 
get  through,  po  we  eucamiHHl  lor  tl»o  nij^lit.  The  wind  is 
now  liiir  for  us,  N.  N.  E.,  but  we  cannot  get  through  the 
ice.  I  hope  for  bettor  hick  to-morrow.  We  take  scala 
when  wc  want  tii<'in,  ohl  or  young,  so  that  it  is  not  ucced* 
■ary  to  croak  any  more  until  they  get  more  scarce. 

"  April  4. — Wind  N.  E. ;  favorable  for  us,  but  I  am  sorry 
to  say  wo  cannot  start.  Tiie  ico  surrounds  us ;  the  ico 
oiioiu'd  at  S.tJO,  and  we  got  under  way  at  8.4.'>  a.  m.  After 
two  hours'  good  run  we  are  beset  in  the  ice  agaiii,  and 
have  to  stop  for  the  present,  hoping  it  will  open  to-morrow. 
^Ir.  Aloyur  took  an  observation,  latitude  50°  47'.  Tho 
wind  is  springing  up;  J  am  afraid  we  shall  have  bad 
weather. 

''April  5. — Blowing  a  gale  from  the  N.  E.,  and  a  fearful 
sea  running.  Two  pieces  broke  from  the  floe.  We  are  on 
one  close  to  the  tent.  At  5  A.  5i.  removed  our  things  to 
the  centre.  Another  piece  broke  ott",  carrying  Joe's  hut 
Cjust  built)  with  it;  luckily,  it  gave  some  warning,  so  that 
they  had  time  to  throw  out  some  thhigs  before  it  i)arted. 
A  dreadful  day ;  cannot  do  anything  to  help  ourselves. 
If  the  ice  break  up  much  more,  we  must  break  up  with  it ; 
set  a  watch  all  night. 

"April  0. — Wind  changed  to  N.  W.;  blowing  a  very 
severe  gale.  Still  on  the  same  ice ;  cannot  get  off.  At 
the  mercy  of  the  elements.  Joe  lost  anothei  hut  to-day. 
The  ice,  with  a  roar,  split  across  the  lloe,  cutting  Joe's  hut 
right  in  two.  We  have  but  a  small  piece  left.  Cannot 
lie  down  to-in'ght.  Put  a  few  things  in  the  boat,  and  now 
Btanding  by  for  a  jump ;  such  is  the  night. 

"April  7.— Wind  W.  N.W.;  still  blowing  a  gale,  with  a 
feari'ul  sea  running.  The  ice  split  right  across  our  tent 
this  morning  at  0  A.M.  While  getting  a  few  ounces  of 
bread  and  pemraican  we  lost  our  breaktiist  in  scrambling 
out  of  our  tent,  and  nearly  lost  our  boat,  which  would 
have  been  terrible.     We  could  not  catch  any  seal  after 


I    'I 


f; 


MKYEIV   LOST   AND   HKSCDKD. 


G29 


the  ^tonn  sot  in,  so  wo  nro  ohlitrod  to  starvo  f.,r  a  wliilfi 
liopmj^  111  (Jo,l  it  Hill  not  be  for  u  long  timo.  The  worst 
of  it  M  wo  have  no  hhiMH-r  for  tho  lun.p.und  auinot  cook 
or  nu-lt  any  water.  Kverything  looks  very  glooii  y.  Het 
a  WHfdi ;  l.alf  the  men  are  lying  down,  J,o  others  walkinir 
out^iile  the  tent.  ® 

"Aj>rilH.—Lmt  night,  at  twelve  o'clock,  tho  ico  broke 
again  b.iwccn  tho  tent  an.l  tho  bout,  whl('h  were  cIoho  to- 
gether— HO  close  that  a  man  could  not  walk  between  them 
There  the  ico  split,  separating  the  bout  and  tent,  carryinir 
away  boat,  kayak  and  Mr.  Meyer.    There  wo  stood,  hol,> 
less,  looking  at  each  other.     It  wm»  blowing  and  snowing 
very  cold,  and  a  learful  sea  running.     Tlus  ice  was  bnak' 
ing,  hipping  and  crushing.     Tiie  sight  was  gran.l,  but 
dreadful  to  us  in  our  positi(,n.     Uv.  Meyer  cast  the  kayak 
adrdt,  but  it  wont  to  leeward  of  us.     He  can  do  nothing 
with  the  boat  alone,  so  they  are  lost  to  us  unless  (}od  re- 
turns them.    The  natives  went  olf  on  a  piece  of  ice  with 
their  paddles  and  ice-spears.     The  work  looks  dangerous ; 
we  may  never  see  them  again.     But  we  arc  lost  without 
tho  boat,  so  that  they  are  as  well  off.     Alter  an  hour's 
struggle  we  can  make  out,  with  what  little  light  there  is, 
that  they  have  reached  the  boat,  about  half  a  mile  off! 
There  they  appear  to  be  helpless,  the  ice  closing  in  all 
around,  and  we  can  do  nothing  until  daylight.     Daylight 
at  hist  — 8  A.M.      There   we  see  them  with  the  boat; 
they  can  do  nothing  with  her.    The  kayak  is  the  same  dis- 
tance in  another  direction.     We  must  venture  off;  may  aa 
well  be  crushed  by  the  ice  and  drowned  as  to  remain  here 
without  the  boat.     Olf  we  venture,  all  but  two,  who  tlare 
not  make  the  attcmj)t.     We  jump  or  step  from  one  piec-o 
to  another  as  the  swell  heaves  it  and  the  ice  comes  close 
togi'ther,  one  piece  being  high,  the  other  low,  so  that  you 
watch  your  chance  to  jump.     All  who  ventured  reached 
tho  boat  in  safety,  thank  (iod!  and  after  a  long  struggle 
we  got  Ivjr  safe  to  camp  again.    Then  we  ventured  for  tli« 


•>...■ 


•.       .         \ 


(J30 


ABATEMENT    OF   THE    GALE. 


•I' 


kayak,  and  got  it  also.  Mr.  Meyer  and  Fred,.  Jainkins 
foil  into  the  water.  Li;ckily,  we  had  t«o  or  throe  dry 
shirts  loft,  so  that  tliey  coi'ld  change.  Most  every  man  ia 
more  or  kv>..s  wet.  Have  taken  our  tent  down  and  pitched 
it  on  the  niiddlo  of  our  little  piece  of  ice,  with  our  boat 
alongside.  Joe  has  built  another  hut  alongside  the  tent. 
Wf  have  made  our  brcakiast  on  a  few  ounces  of  pemmi- 
can  and  bread.  Have  set  a  watch,  and  the  remainder  of 
us  have  laid  down  to  got  some  sleep,  nhich  we  are  in  need 
of.  Wind  W.  N.  W. ;  still  blowing  a  gale.  I  think  there 
is  a  northeaster  t)utside,  by  the  way  the  pass  has  closed. 

"  April  9. — Things  were  quiet  hvst  night.  Wind  N.  W. ; 
blowing  0  N.  E.  gale  outside.  The  sun  has  shown  himself 
for  a  lew  minutes.  Mr.  Meyer  shot  him;  latitude  55" 
51'  north.  The  sea  runs  \ery  high,  threateriing  to  wash 
us  off"  every  minute.  We  are  in  the  hands  of  God ;  may 
he  preserve  us !  The  ice  is  nuich  slacker,  and  the  water  is 
coming  nearer.  Things  look  very  bad.  God  knows  how 
the  night  w'lW  end.  Evcnuig. — Washed  out  of  our  tent; 
Hannah  fron\  her  s  low-hut.  Have  gotten  everything  in 
the  boat  ready  for  a  start;  sho  can  never  live  in  such  a 
fiea.  The  sun  has  set  very  good.  Land  in  sight.  It  has 
cheered  us  up.  The  women  and  children  are  in  the  boat. 
We  have  not  a  dry  place  to  walk  about,  nor  a  piece  of 
fresh-water  ice  to  eat.  The  sea  has  swept  over  all ;  tho 
ice  is  closing  in  fast;  the  wind  and  sea  going  down.  Mid- 
nig^it,  twelve  o'clock. — Things  look  so  quiet  and  the  ico 
go  closed  around  that  we  have  pitched  our  tent,  intending 
to  b.ave  a  sleep,  for  we  are  worn  oat." 

The  lUth  brought  slight  r'-lief  in  the  abatement  of  tho 
gale.  The  ice  still  befot  tht;n,  however, and  n.)  movement 
in  the  boat  was  practicabL'.  The  succeeding  dsiys,  till  tlio 
14th,  showed  no  change,  and  no  opportunity  o Sored  either 
to  escajK'  from  their  little  ic(-cake  or  to  procure  seals. 
Of  the  14th,  loth,  'Oth  anc'  17th,  the  diary  tells  tlie  story 
graphically  and  briefly : 


riANNIBALISM. 


631 


"April  14.— Wind  liglit ;  north;  the  pack  still  closed 
no  chanco  of  leaving  here  yet.  See  one  or  two  seals  every 
day,  but  oainiot  get  them,  as  the  ice  will  not  allow  us  to 
go  through  or  over  it.  Weather  very  fine ;  sea  calm,  or, 
I  should  say,  the  ico,  as  tliere  is  no  water ;  latitude  55' 
13'  north.  Our  small  piece  of  ice  is  wearing  away  very 
fast;  our  little  provisions  are  nearly  finished.  Things 
look  very  dark ;  starvation  very  near.  My  trust  is  in  God ; 
he  will  bring  us  througli.     All  well. 

"  April  15. — Nearly  calm ;  very  light  wind,  north.  The 
ice  the  same ;  no  change.  Cold  last  night ;  snow  fell  very 
thick ;  thought  we  would  have  a  change  in  the  weather. 
The  sun  shines  as  bright  as  ever.  Splendid  weaiher  for 
making  a  i)assagc,  but  we  cannot  start.  Latitude  54°  58' 
Mr.  Meyer  looks  very  bad.  Hunger  seems  to  have  more 
effect  on  him  than  on  the  rest  of  us ;  he  gets  weak-looking. 

'•April  16. — AVind  Increasing  a  little  from  north-north- 
west. The  ice  still  the  same ;  no  swell  on.  My  head  and 
face  have  been  swolleii  to  twice  their  usual  size,  I  do  not 
know  the  cause  of  i*^,  unless  it  is  the  ice  head-pillow  and 
the  sun.  We  keep  an  hour's  watch  at  night.  Some  one 
hiis  been  at  the  pemmican  on  watch,  and  I  can  put  ray 
hand  on  the  man.  He  did  the  same  thing  during  the 
winter,  and  on  the  night  of  the  7th  I  caught  him  in  the 
act.  AVe  have  but  few  days'  })rovisions  left.  AVe  came 
down  on  them  this  morning;  rather  weakening  work,  but 
it  must  be  done  to  save  life  as  long  as  we  can,  which  can- 
not, be  much  longer  unless  something  good  comes  along, 
which  I  hope  may  soon  happen.  The  only  thing  that 
troubles  mo  is  the  thought  of  cannibalism.  It  !s  a  fearful 
tnought,  but  may  as  well  be  looked  boldly  in  the  tiice  as 
otherwise  If  such  things  are  to  happen,  we  must  submit. 
May  God  save  us! 

"April  17. — Light  breeze  from  the  west-southwest.   The 
ice  the  same;  no  opening  yet.     Laticude  54°  27' north. 
We  shot  the  dogs  last  winter  for  stealing  the  pn  visioita. 
63* 


^^^ii''^ 


1 


632 


THE   DESTRUCTIVE    SWELL. 


If  I  had  my  way,  with  the  consent  of  all  hands,  I  would 
call  out  and  shoot  down  that  two-legged  dog  who  has  since 
been  at  them.  I  see  most  of  the  men  have  their  faces 
■woUen,  but  not  so  badly  aa  mine.  All  well,  but  growing 
very  weak." 

On  the  mornmg  of  the  18th,  on  "  turning  out,"  a  sight 
met  the  gaze  of  the  party  that  caused  them  to  return 
hearty  thanks  to  God :  it  was  land  not  very  distant.  A 
little  later  the  atmosphere  thickened  and  the  land  itself 
vanished  from  sight  for  a  time,  but  there  were  not  want- 
ing evidences  of  its  proximity.  A  crow,  two  smaller 
land-birds,  and  a  flock  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
canvas-back  ducks,  were  seen ;  they  came  within  range  of 
vision,  but  not  of  shot,  and  hence  our  friends  had  to  be 
content  with  the  treat  of  seeing  these  signals  from  the 
shore.  Though  not  fortunate  enough  to  secure  a  meal  of 
canvas-backs,  thanks  to  Joe's  quick  eye,  his  daring  and 
his  skill,  their  hunger  was  relieved  by  a  fine  seal,  which 
also  enabled  them  to  replenish  their  lamps  and  obtain 
some  water  by  melting  ice.  The  prize  was  carefully 
divided.  Herron  says,  "  We  then  cooked  some  good  soup 
from  what,  at  other  times,  I  should  have  called  otfal ;" 
they  had  learned  to  utilize  every  part  of  a  seal  except  the 
gall.  "The  mess  was  highly  relished."  They  then 
"  turned  in  for  the  night,  thanking  God  for  his  proteciioa 
and  goodness,  to  dream  of  friends  and  of  happy  days  to 
come."  On  the  night  of  the  19th,  a  rough  sea,  with  a 
very  heavy  swell  from  the  northeast,  gave  token  of  a  gale 
in  that  quarter,  though  a  light  wind  from  the  northwest 
prevailed  in  their  innuediate  vicinity.  The  terrible  effect 
of  the  swell  is  forcibly  ilepicted  in  the  diary : 

"April  20. — The  wind  here  from  the  northwest.  Blow- 
ing a  gaL  in  the  nortlieast.  The  swell  comes  from  there, 
and  is  very  heavy.  The  first  warning  we  had— the  man 
on  watch  sang  out  at  the  moment — a  sea  struck  us,  and 
•WHahiug  over  us,  carried  awav  everything  that  was  loosa 


EVEUYTIIING    WASHED    OVERBOARD. 


633 


This  happened  at  nine  o'clock  last  night.  We  shipped 
eea  after  sea,  five  and  ten  minutes  after  each  other,  carry- 
ing away  everything  we  had  in  our  tent,  skins  and  most 
of  our  bedclothing,  leaving  us  destitute,  with  only  the 
few  things  we  could  get  into  the  boat.  There  we  stood 
from  nine  in  the  evening  until  seven  next  morning,  endur- 
ing, I  should  say,  what  man  never  stood  before.  The  few 
things  we  saved  and  the  children  were  placed  in  the  boat. 
The  sea  brc  ke  over  us  during  that  night  and  morning. 
Every  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  a  sea  would  come,  lift  the 
boat  and  us  with  it,  carry  us  along  the  ice,  and  lose  ita 
strength  near  the  edge  and  sometimes  on  it.  Then  it 
would  take  us  the  next  fifteen  minutes  to  get  back  to  a 
safe  place,  ready  for  the  next  roller.  So  we  stood  that 
long  hour,  not  a  word  spoken,  but  the  commands  to  "  Hold 
on,  my  hearties;  bear  down  on  her;  put  on  all  your 
weight,"  and  so  we  did,  bearing  down  and  holding  on  like 
grim  death.  Cold,  hungry,  wet  and  little  prospect  ahead. 
At  seven  o'clock  there  came  close  to  us  a  small  piece  of 
ice,  which  rode  dry,  and  we  determined  to  launch  the  boat 
and  reach  it  or  perish.  The  cook  went  overboard,  but 
was  saved.     All  well.     Tired  and  sleepy. 

"April  21. — Last  night  and  yesterday  all  hands  wet. 
Nothing  dry  to  put  on  to-<lay.  There  is  little  to  dry,  but 
we  have  stripped  off  everything  we  can  spare,  and  are 
drying  it.  The  men  are  divided  into  two  watches,  sleep- 
ing in  the  boat  and  doing  the  best  we  can.  Hunger  dis- 
turbs us  most.  Nice  breeze  from  the  northeast.  The  ice 
around  very  pressing  and  thick.  AVe  cannot  get  the  boat 
through,  and  must  remain  for  a  change.  The  sun  has 
shown  himself  only  sufliciently  to  get  an  observation; 
latitude  53"  57'." 

Truly  their  state  was  terrible  in  the  extreme,  and 
Herron's  trust  in  Providence  was  apparently  clouded, 
though  it  soon  regained  its  healthy  tone. 

"April  22. — "Weather  very  bad.    Last  night  commenced 


^^m. 


634 


A   BEAR   SAVES  TIIEIU    LIVES. 


fj^  'i  *.■ 


h^' 


:.| 


Hi 


it    11,  ■ 

'  1 1 


iii' 


I! 


iU: 


with  snow  squalls  and  sleet  and  finished  with  rain. 
Rained  all  the  night  and  until  twelve  o'clock  to-day. 
Btill  remains  very  thick.  The  ice  in  pash  inclosed  around 
us.  It  ai)pears  to  me  we  arc  the  sport  and  jest  of  the 
elements.  The  other  night  they  played  with  us  and  our 
boat  as  though  we  were  shuttlecocks.  Men  would  never 
believe,  nor  could  pen  describe,  the  scenes  we  have  passed 
through  and  yet  live.  Here  we  are,  half  drowned,  cold 
and  with  no  means  of  shelter.  Everythuig  wet  and  no 
sun  to  dry  it.  The  scene  looks  bad.  Nothing  to  eat; 
everything  finished.  If  some  relief  does  not  come  along, 
I  do  not  know  what  will  become  of  us.  Fearful  thoughts 
enter  my  head  as  to  the  future.  Mr.  Meyer  is  starving; 
he  cannot  last  long  in  this  state.  Joe  has  been  oft'  on  the 
ice  three  times  to-day,  the  little  way  he  can  get,  but  haa 
not  seen  anything.  Chewed  on  a  piece  of  skin  this  morn- 
ing that  was  tanned  and  saved  for  clothing;  rather  a 
tough  and  tasteless  breakfast.  Joe  ventured  off"  on  the 
ice  the  fourth  time,  and  after  looking  a  good  while  from  a 
piece  of  iceberg,  saw  a  bear  coming  slowly  toward  us. 
He  ran  back  as  fast  as  possible  for  his  gun.  All  of  us 
lay  down  and  remained  perfectly  still,  Joe  and  Hans 
going  out  some  distance  to  meet  the  bear.  Getting  behind 
a  hummock,  they  waited  for  him.  Along  came  Bruin, 
thinking  he  was  coming  to  a  meal  instead  of  furnishing 
one  himself.  Clack,  bang!  went  two  rifles,  and  down 
went  Bruin  to  save  a  starving  lot  of  men.  The  Lord  be 
praised!  this  is  his  heavenly  work.  We  cannot  oatcb 
seal  for  the  pack  ice,  and  we  are  on  a  bad  sealing  ground. 
He  therefore  sends  a  bear  along  where  bears  are  seldoie 
Been,  and  we  ceitainly  never  expected  to  find  one.  The 
poor  bear  was  hungry  himself;  there  was  nothing  in  big 
stomach.  Joe,  poor  fellow,  looked  very  much  down  on 
our  account.  Everything  looks  bright  again  but  tha 
atmospliere  ;  it  looks  threatening. 

"April  23. — Wind  east-northeast,  and  later  in  the  day 


THE    CRISIS    DllAWINQ    NEAR 


north-northoast,  where  I  hope  it  will  remain.  Tho 
weather  still  disagreeable,  full  of  rain  squalls  and  cloudy. 
Living  nearly  on  raw  bear  nxeat.  Everything  wet,  but 
brighter  days  coming  soon.  It  cannot  last  much  longer. 
Here  we  are  surrounded  with  the  miserable  pack  ice  and 
cannot  get  free.     All  well. 

"April  24.— Wind  north-northeast;  sometimes  hauls 
around  to  north.  Raining  all  night  and  to-day.  Every- 
thing  wet  for  some  days  past,  and  no  chance  of  drying  it. 
Saw  a  large  school  of  ducks  at  four  A.  m.,  and  another 
later  in  the  day.  Cannot  be  far  from  land;  we  have 
been  allowed  to  see  it  sometimes,  but  were  driven  off  again. 
There  was  a  fine  lead  of  water  last  night.  I  thought  we 
were  going  to  have  a  change,  but  it  soon  closed  up  again. 
Another  lead  to-day,  but  farther  off." 

The  crisis  seemed  to  be  rapidly  drawing  near.  Their 
little  ice-cake,  already  too  small  for  the  erection  of  a  hut 
on  it,  was  wasting  away  hdurly,  and  at  last,  on  the  25th, 
the  gale  reached  them,  and  they  were  compelled  at  great 
risk  to  embark  again  in  their  bout.  There  was  fearful 
hazard  in  this,  but  it  was  safer  than  attempting  to  ride 
out  the  gale  on  tlieir  reduced  ice-cake.  But,  as  the 
darkest  hour  is  just  before  dawn,  a  glimmer  of  hope  on 
the  26th  was  succeeded  by  a  brighter  promise  on  the  28th. 
They  had  reached  the  sealing  grounds,  and  might  hope  to 
meet  a  deliverer  if  they  could  but  weather  it  out  a  little 
longer.  On  the  28th,  a  sealer  actually  came  in  sight  and 
aroused  high  hopas,  only  to  be  dashed  by  her  disappear- 
ance soon  after.  Then  two  other  sealers  hove  in  sight. 
But  none  of  these  rescued  our  friends ;  the  first  saw  them 
and  bore  down  for  them,  but  appeared  unable  to  get 
through  tho  ice ;  the  other  two  seemed  not  to  have  seen 
the  anxious  party.  At  last,  however,  on  the  night  of  the 
29th,  the  Tigress,  without  having  seen  them,  was  directed 
by  the  Providence  lierron  had  so  long  and  so  faithfully 
trusted,  so  that  she  almost  ran  over  them.     The  joy  ol 


686 


CASE  GROWS  dp:sperate. 


•I 


lirf* 


the  long  lost  can  scarcely  be  imagined,  and  certainly  can- 
not be  described  wlien,  on  tiic  morning  of  the  oOth,  they 
saw  the  Tigress  close  upon  tlu'm.  They  were  immediately 
taken  aboard.  But  we  cannot  refrain  from  copying  John 
Herron's  account  of  the  last  six  days : 

"April  25. — Wind  increased  to  a  gale  last  night,  from 
the  northeast.  Raining  all  night  and  to-day,  with  snow 
squalls.  Launched  the  boat  at  5  A.  M.  The  case  waa 
desperate — running  with  a  light-built  boat,  damaged  as  she 
is,  patched  and  scratched  all  over.  But  what  were  we  to 
do?  The  piece  of  ice  we  were  on  had  wasted  away  so 
much  it  would  never  ride  out  the  gale.  Our  danger  to- 
day was  very  great;  a  gale  of  wind  blowing,  a  crippled 
boat  overloaded  and  a  fearful  sea  running,  filled  with 
small  ice  as  sharp  as  knives.  But,  thank  God,  we  came 
safely  through  it.  We  are  all  soaking  wet,  in  everything 
we  have,  and  no  chance  of  drying  anything.  We  have 
liad  neither  sun  nor  moon  for  over  a  week.  Not  a  single 
star  have  I  seen.  All  is  dark  and  dreary ;  but,  please 
God,  it  will  soon  brighten  up.  We  have  struck  the  seal- 
men's  grounds.  I  never  saiv  such  an  abundance  of  seals 
before ;  they  are  in  schools  like  the  porj)oise.  AVe  hauled 
up  on  a  floe  after  eight  hours'  pull ;  could  make  no  west- 
ing. Shot  some  seals,  but  they  all  sunk ;  Joe  shot  them. 
Hard  times. 

"April  26. — Joe  shot  a  seal  last  evening  and  broke  the 
charm.  Hans  shot  one  this  morning.  Last  night  and 
this  morning  fine.  Ice  very  thick  around.  Started  at 
6.30  A.  M.,  and  were  beset  two  hours  afterward.  Pulled 
up  on  a  small  piece  of  ice,  the  best  we  could  find.  Snow- 
uig  all  day.  Repaired  the  boat  here,  which  it  wanted, 
and  the  weather  cleared  up  in  the  afternoon.  Got  some 
things  dried  a  little,  and  half  of  us  turned  in.  Hans  shot 
a  seal,  making  two  to-day. 

"April  27. — Yesterday,  wind  light  from  sou'Jieast.  In 
the  evonii.g  changed  to  northeast,  blowing  stro.igly.     Mr. 


A   SAIL   IN    SIGHT. 


637 


Meyer  look  an  observation  yesterday.  Latitude  53°  30' 
aorth.  Hnowcd  all  night  and  this  afternoon.  Cleared  up 
this  afternoon,  but  remains  thiek  and  somewhat  cloudy. 
Plenty  of  water  all  around,  but  cannot  get  to  it.   All  well. 

"April  28. — Gale  of  wind  sprung  up  from  the  west. 
Heavy  sea  running;  water  washmg  over  the  floe.  All 
ready  and  standing  by  our  boat  all  night.  Not  quite  so 
bad  as  the  other  night.  Snow  squalls  all  night  and  during 
forenoon.  Launched  the  boat  at  daylight  (3.80  a.  m.), 
but  could  get  nowhere  for  the  ice.  Heavy  sea  and  head 
wind ;  blowing  a  gale  right  in  our  teeth.  Hauled  up  on  a 
piece  of  ice  at  6  A.  m.,  and  had  a  few  hours'  sleep,  but 
were  threatened  to  be  smashed  to  pieces  by  some  bergs. 
They  were  fighting  quite  a  battle  in  the  water,  and  bearing 
right  for  us.  We  called  the  watch,  launched  the  boat  and 
got  away,  the  wind  blowing  moderately  and  the  sea  going 
down.  We  left  at  1  p.  m.  The  ice  is  much  slacker,  and 
there  is  more  water  than  I  have  seen  yet.  Joe  shot  three 
young  bladder-nosed  seals  on  the  ice  coming  along,  which 
we  took  in  the  boat.  4.30,  steamer  right  ahead  and  a  little 
to  the  north  of  us.  We  hoisted  the  colors,  pulled  until 
dark,  trying  to  cut  her  off,  but  she  does  not  see  us.  She  is 
a  sealer,  bearing  southwest.  Once  she  appeared  to*  be 
bearing  right  down  upon  us,  but  I  suppose  she  was  work- 
ing tlirough  the  ice.  What  joy  she  caused  I  We  found  a 
small  piece  of  ice  and  boarded  it  for  the  night.  Night 
calm  and  clear.  The  stars  are  out  the  first  time  for  a 
week,  and  there  is  a  new  moon.  The  sea  quiet,  and 
sj)lendid  jiorthcrn  lights.  Divided  into  two  watches,  four 
hours'  sleep  each;  hitend  to  start  early.  Had  a  good  pull 
this  afternoon  ;  made  some  westing.  Cooked  with  blubber 
fire.     Kept  a  good  one  all  night,  so  that  we  could  be  seen. 

"  April  29. — Morning  fine  and  calm ;  the  water  quiet. 
At  daylight  sighted  the  steamer  five  miles  off.  Called  the 
watch,  launched  the  boat  and  made  for  her.  After  an 
hour's  pull  gained  on  her  a  good  deal ;  viuother  hour,  and 


€88 


THE    RESCUE. 


!#' 


\V> 


<  I 

1 


we  got  fjist  in  the  ice ;  could  got  no  further.  LandeJ  on 
a  piece  of  ice  and  hoisted  our  colors  from  an  elevated 
place.  Mustered  our  rifles  and  pistols  and  fired  together, 
making  a  considerable  report.  Fired  three  rounds  and 
were  answered  by  three  shots,  the  steamer  at  the  same  time 
heading  for  us.  He  headed  north,  then  southeast,  and 
kept  on  so  all  day.  He  tried  to  work  through  the  ice,  but 
could  not.  Very  strange.  I  should  think  any  sailing 
vessel,  much  less  a  steamer,  could  get  through  with  ease. 
We  fired  several  rounds  and  kept  our  colors  flying,  but  he 
came  no  nearer.  He  was  not  over  four  or  five  miles  dis- 
tant. Late  in  the  afternoon  he  steamed  away,  bearing 
southwest.  We  gave  him  up.  In  the  evening  he  hove  in 
sight  again,  but  farther  off.  While  looking  at  him  another 
stranger  hove  in  sight,  so  that  we  have  two  sealers  near, 
one  on  each  side  of  us,  and  I  do  not  expect  to  be  picked 
up  by  either  of  them.  At  sunset  sighted  land  southwest, 
a  long  way  off.  Mr.  Meyer  took  an  observation  to-day ; 
yatitude  5.3°  4'  north.  Hans  caught  a  seal,  very  snniU  and 
young — a  perfect  baby  of  a  seal.  Dried  most  of  our  things 
to-day. 

"  April  30. — 5  A.  M.,  weather  thick  and  foggy.  Glorious 
sight  when  the  fog  broke;  a  steamer  close  to  us.  She 
sees  us  aiid  bears  down  on  us.  We  are  saved,  thank  God! 
We  are  safe  on  board  the  Tigress,  of  St.  John's,  Captain 
Bartlett.  He  says  the  other  steamer  could  not  have  seen 
us,  as  the  cai)tain  is  noted  for  his  humanity.  The  Tigress 
musters  120  men,  the  kindest  and  most  obliging  I  have 
ever  met.     Picked  up  in  latitude  53°  35'  north." 

The  Tigress  carried  the  rescued  party  to  St.  John's, 
where  thoy  were  received  by  the  entire  pojjulace  with  the 
wildest  demonstrations  of  delight.  The  secretary  of  the 
navy,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  preceding  chapter,  sinit  the 
Frolic  for  them,  and  they  Avere  brought  in  safety  to  the 
capital  city  of  their  own  country. 


CHAPTRll  XXVI. 

!■■  PoLAnis  AnniPT.— Lkaksthat  DBfYrnK  I'iimps.— DeteriiiiiatioiI 
TO  UiiN  llta  Aqroi'ni).— She  Reaches  Like-iuat  Cove.— IJEACHEr 
oit  Littleton  Isr.ANi).— HoirsB  for  Winter  Qiarters  Huilt.— A 
Party   op   KsgriMAiix    Render   Invaluable   Help.— Spiuno  Ap- 

PBOACIIES,  AND  TwO    UOATS   ARK    CONSTRUCTED    OUT   OP    TlMIlKIlS    PROM 

THE  Polaris — With  the  Opening  Weather,  the  Shipwrecked 
Party  Kmbakk  and  Proceed  Southward.— Plenty  op  Provisio.ns, 
Plenty  op  Peril,  and  Plenty  op  Perseverance.— Just  at  thb 
Crisis,  a  Whaler  Rescues  thb  Kntirb  Party,  and  Carries  them 
TO  Dundee.— TiiEY  Sail  for  the  United  States.— Arrivb  w 
Sapbty. 

Leaving  Capt.  Tyson  and  his  eighteen  "  ice-raft "  com- 
panions thus  in  perfect  safety  from  the  perils  of  the  deep 
as  well  as  from  tliose  of  hunger  and  cold,  we  must  ask  our 
readers  to  return  with  us  to  the  deck  of  tiie  ill-tiited  Po- 
laris. Wc  left  her  on  the  night  of  the  15th  of  October, 
1872,  in  the  midst  of  a  fearful  gale,  with  the  ice,  in  fields, 
floes  and  mountain  bergs,  all  about  her,  threatening  to 
crush  her  in  its  driftings,  to  and  fro,  with  the  storm. 
After  the  ice-berg  had  splintered  the  field  to  which  she 
had  been  fast,  and  set  her  adrift,  she  became  a  prey  to  the 
wild  wind,  which  carried  her  rapidly  whither  it  would,  a 
mere  toy  in  its  mighty  rage.  To  add  to  the  horrors  of 
the  situation,  it  was  found  that  the  ice  had  opened  several 
places  in  her  hull,  through  which  the  water  was  pouring 
^ith  terrible  rapidity.  Anxiety  for  the  nineteen  souls 
adrift  on  the  "ice-raft"  for  a  time  blinded  those  on  board 
to  their  own  perilous  condition,  and  an  anxious  watch  was 
kept  for  them,  the  best  "look-out"  being  detailed, and  the 
rest  straining  their  eyes  in  unavailing  endeavors  to  dis- 
cover the  whereabouts  of  their  late  ship-mates.     Soon, 

6.39 


C40 


BEACHED  ON   LITTLETON    ISLAND. 


r  * 


P«5 


L'f"> 


however,  they  roiilizod  their  own  extreme  peril.  The  hold 
was  filling  iit  a  terrific  rate,  and  the  punipH  were  the  only 
means  of  relief.  These  were  found  to  be  frozen.  After 
considerable  difficulty  in  making  sufficient  fire,  water  was 
heated,  ami  with  this  the  pumps  were  thawed  and  got  into 
working  order.  The  whole  party,  except  the  two  firo. 
men,  went  to  work  at  the  pumps  with  the  energy  of  men 
working  for  their  lives.  But  all  their  efforts  were  inad- 
equate, the  water  still  gaining  upon  them.  Meanwhile, 
the  firemen  were  faithfully  endeavoring  to  get  up  steam 
with  such  fuel  as  they  had,  which  was  not  only  poor  in 
quality,  but  sadly  deficient  in  quantity.  However,  after 
repeated  failures  they  succeeded,  and  with  steam  the  ves- 
sel was  not  so  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind.  With 
the  water  gaining  on  the  pumps,  and  a  scant  supply  of 
fuel  to  keep  up  steam,  it  Mas  evident  to  all  that  the  only 
course  that  ofi'ered  escape  from  certain  death  was  to  run 
the  devoted  ship  ashore  and  desert  her.  But  even  this 
was  far  easier  to  determine  upon  than  to  eflect.  Fortu- 
nately, the  wind  had  abated,  and  it  became  possible  to  use 
the  sails.  With  the  combined  power  of  the  steam  and  the 
sails,  Capt.  Buddingtou  succeeded  in  carrying  the  vessel 
into  Lifoboat  Cove,  and  within  about  three  miles  of  Lit- 
tleton Island.  The  wind  here  happily  shifted  to  the  north- 
east. Although  it  now  seemed  as  if  everything  favored 
the  purpose  of  running  the  ship  ashore  on  Littleton  Island, 
it  nevertheless  took  twelve  hours'  hard  work  to  beach  her. 
This  was  at  hist  accomplished,  and  the  men  were  set  to 
work  getting  out  of  her,  and  upon  the  shore,  provisions, 
clothing,  coal  and  every  movable  thing  that  could  bo 
Bcrviceable  in  securing  tiie  safety  and  comfort  of  the  party 
during  the  period  of  enforced  residence  on  the  island. 

The  absolute  necessity  for  beaching  and  al)an(loning  the 
Polaris  may  be  realized  by  noting  her  unseawortliy  con 
dition.     After  the  stores,  etc.,  had  been  taken  out  of  her, 
before  the  work  of  demolition  commenced,  a  searching 


FRIENDS   IN   NEaD. 


en 


mspcctioii  of  her  Imll  was  had.  It  wua  found  that  her 
whole  «tern  was  cut  from  the  six-foot  murk  dowu  us  fur  oa 
they  could  Hce.  ThuH  it  wiis  evident  thut  she  wus  incapa- 
ble of  being  repaired,  at  leuat  with  such  fucilitiea  as  were 
ut  their  conmiand. 

Now  it  becanu!  needful  to  construct  shelter,  and  timber 
from  the  ship  had  to   be   brought  into   requisition,  the 
bulkheads,  sails,  spars,  etc.,  serving  quite  hundily  the  de- 
Fired  purpose.     This  tearing  away  timbers  of  course  made 
stdl  more  vague  the  pro.spect  of  tscape  from  their  island 
"  hf)me,"  but  there  was  no  alternative,  and  the  men  suc- 
ceeded in  constructing  quite  a  comfortable  house ;  the  walls 
were  of  plank,  jointed  and  made  as  far  us  possible  impervious 
to  the  piercing  bla.'^ts  of  the  Arctic  winter ;  the  roof  con- 
sisted  of  two  sails  laid  on  top  of  a  covering  of  heavy  planks. 
This  "house"  was  twenty-two  feet  long,  by  fourteen  wide,' 
and  occupied  about  two  days  in  its  construction.     A  fire- 
place was  made  in  one  end  with  a  stove-pipe  for  a  chimney. 
A  galley  and  store-room  were  also  provided.    The  accom^ 
modations  for  sleeping  consisted  of  berths  arranged  around 
the  walls.     And  in  this  primitive  sort  of  abode  Cupt.  Bud- 
dington  and  his  men  passed  the  winter  months.     During 
the  winter  darkness,  it  was  necessary  to  keep  oil-lumps  con- 
tinually burning,  the  oil  being  that  of  the  walrus  and  seal. 
But  they  had  not  been  in  winter  quarters  many  days  ere  they 
reulized  that  shelter  was  not  the  sole  desideratum  to  com- 
fort in  Arctic  latitudes,  and  fortunately,  just  when  most 
needed,  a  party  of  Esquimaux  came  upon  them  unawares. 
These,  being  kindly  disposed,  proved  of  great  advantage  to 
the  forlorn   party.      It  had    been  deemed  advisable  to 
build  their  house  ut  tome  distance  from  the  edge  of  the 
shore,  and  our  shipwrecked  friends  had  been  unable  to 
transport  thither  any  considerable  portion  of  the  stores 
from  the  Polaris,  and  now  their  Esquimaux  visitors,  ac- 
cepting  a  few  paltry  "presents"  as  compensation,  per- 
formed  thia  importar.t  service  for  them. 

41 


642 


A    COMKOUTAin.K    WINTEH. 


It- 
It' 

fi' 


|i,*' 


But  this  was  loss  than  nnotlior  service  rondorod  for  • 
Biiuiliir  cDinpciisation.     The  shipwrcrkcMl  crew  liu.l  lost,  in 
laiulin^,  II  coii/ulemMc  jMirt  of  tlioir  almuly  iimdwiuatH 
supply  of  clotliing.    The  Estpiimaux,  on  the  other  huii.l, 
had  a  largo  (piaiitity  of  skin  clothing;  this,  though  it^ 
odor  is  oxtrciiH-ly  ottonsivo,  is  ospocially  dosirahlo  in  tho 
Arctic  regions  on  account  of  its  warmth,  and  our  friends 
gratofullv'' availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  rtv 
plenish  t'heir  scanty  wardrolie  from  the  Es(|ui!naux  stores, 
liosidos  which,  these  Kstpiimaux,  from  time  to  time,  gave 
them  a  walrus.     Indeed,  they  seem  to  have  studied  in 
every  way  to  render  all  the  assistance  they  could,  and 
the  kindnesses  were  the  more'  felt  as  they  were  tendered 
in  an  unostentatious  manner. 

Thus,  in  a  short  time,  our  friends  found  themselves 
quite  comfortable,  with  a  good  house,  plenty  of  warm 
clothing  and  a  sufficient  supply  of  food,  which,  if  not  tlxi 
best,  was  palatable  and  wholesome.  The  general  health 
was  excellent,  and  every  one  was  cheerful.  Time  did  not 
hang  so  drearily  upon  them  as  might  have  been  antici- 
pated, though  hunting  and  other  like  pastime  appeanMl 
impracticable,  and  they  were  restricted  to  reading  (and 
this  embraced  no  large  supply  or  variety  of  reading 
matter),  chess,  draughts,  cards  and  spinning  "yarns." 

The  winter  was  long  and  dreary  enough,  with  a  great 
deal  of  snow.  Tiiis,  however,  was  rather  an  advantage 
than  otherwise ;  for,  banked  up  against  the  walls  of  their 
liouse.  it  made  it  more  tcnantable  by  excluding  the  cold 
winds' which  would  have  found  entrance,  in  spite  of  their 
own  efforts  to  make  the  walls  tigl>t. 

80  earefuUy  had  they  provided  for  the  w'.irer  ih-vt  it 
was  not  till  the  27th  of  January  that  they  luund  il 
necessary  to  visit  the  Polaris,  and  then  only  in  quest  ot 
wood.     There  was  no  difliculty  in  obtaining  fresh  wat(;r. 

As  the  winter  wore  slowly  iiway,  an.l  was  near  its  dose, 
tc-y  began  to  think  of  ways  and  means  of  extricaliuj; 


TWO    D0AT8   CONSTRUCTED. 


043 


thcmsclvas  from  tl.oir  icy  mlun,!  prinon.    Though  thus  far 

l..;yhu,|  b.M.,1  iuv.,n.<l  l..T'>u,i  what,  th.-y  coul.l  have  an- 

u-.I>utc..i,  ami  hud  really  .xperionml  no  a.t.ul  suflerh,« 

the  outlook  wa.i  jretth.g  le«.  pro.nimng,  if  ,,ot  really  nlooray 

and  throatoning.     Their  proviniouH  wore  slowly  but  nurcly 

beconung  exhausted  u,„l  their  fuel  w:u.  almost  used  up  • 

UKleed,  to  make  it  hohl  out  they  hud  for  .ome  time  heeu' 

burmng  part«  of  the  ship.     Hence  they  naturally  beguu 

o  Htudy  out  8o,no  means  of  escape,  to  bo  put  into  re,,ui«i. 

tiou  HO  Hoon  as  the  breaking  up  of  winter  should  make 

esca])e  practicable. 

To  repair  the  Polaris  was,  of  course,  out  of  the  question, 
but  Mr.  Chester,  the   first  mate,  suggested  the   idea  of 
making  her  renuiins  available,  by  the  construction  of  two 
bout.,  as  she  still  ofK-red  a  large  supply  of  suitable  timber. 
Accordingly,  an  examination  of  the  ship  was  nuide  m  or- 
dcr  to  ascertain  where  suitable  material  might  be  got    Mr 
Chester,  on  a  survey,  at  once  conceived  the  idea  that  the 
thu.  Inung  of  the  cabin  might  bo  made  serviceable.     Af- 
tcr  It  was  stripped  down  a  new  difHculty  presented  itself. 
The  wood  was  all  pierced  with  nails,  and  how  the  boat  af- 
ter It  was  built,  was  to  be  made  water-tight  was  the  ques- 
tion  to  be  solved.   JMr.  Chester,  according  to  the  statementa 
ol  all  the  crew,  was  apparently  able  to  coi)e  with  every 
difficulty.  With  the  assistance  of  the  carpenter  the  boards 
were  put  together  in  such  a  manner  that  obstacles  which 
at  fust  appeared   insurm()iintal)le  were  completely  over- 
come.     During  the  cold  .spring  months,  when  the  ther- 
mometer was  twenty-turee  degrees  below  zero,  frequently 
m   the  midst  of  blinding  drift,  the  construction  of  the 
boatrf  was  proceeded  with.     The  situation  wiu.  one  exceed- 
mgly  trying,  and  well  calculated  to  daunt  the  strongest 
hearts.    Still,  life  depended  upon  the  effort,  and  it  co'iild 
not   be  relaxed.     Day   after   day,  decided   progress  was 
nuule.     Arr.  Chester  and  Mr.  John  Booth,  with  the  two 
carpenters,  did  tbe  building,  assisted  by  others  when  as- 


T^_LL      i' 


l» 


Wi . 


^ifiilyji 


644 


AT   SEA,    BOUND   SOUTHWARD. 


sistance  was  required.  \t  the  close  of  the  month  of  May 
the  party  were  ready  to  make  n.  determined  attempt  to 
push  south  waid.  The  boi.ts  wort  each  twenty -five  feet 
long,  with  five  feet  beam,  square  at  either  end,  but 
turued  up.  They  were  capable  of  carrying  seven  cien 
each,  with  stores  for  two  mouths. 

Wliile  the  boats  were  building,  those  not  employed  on 
them  were  busy  packing  stores.  Hunting  expediti  tns 
were  also  frequently  sent  out — fresh  game,  such  as  rein- 
deer, etc.,  being  not  only  a  luxury,  but  almost  a  necessity 
to  ward  off  scurvy. 

As  before  intimated,  the  health  of  the  entire  party  waa 
excellent  throughout  the  winter,  but  just  as  they  were 
about  to  embark  in  the  attempt  to  push  southward,  tliat 
fell  foe  of  the  Arctic  navigator,  the  scurvy,  broke  out 
among  our  friends.  Happily,  the  cases  turned  out  to  be 
of  a  trivial  character ;  yet,  but  foi  a  plentiful  supply  of 
walrus  liver,  kindly  provided  by  the  Esquimaux,  the  dis- 
ease might  have  assumed  alarming  proportions. 

At  last,  about  the  1st  of  Juue,  the  boats  were  launched, 
and  some  disappointment  wus  experienced  on  finding  that 
they  leaked  rather  more  than  had  been  anticipated,  and, 
indeed,  more  than  was  quite  safe.  Still,  no  other  means 
of  escape  were  available,  and  escape  they  must.  So  the 
preparations  were  completed,  the  boats  were  stored  with 
all  the  provisions  they  would  carry,  guns  and  ammunition 
were  taken  on  board,  and,  on  the  8d,  our  friends  bid 
adieu  to  their  snug  winter  quarters  and  to  their  generous 
friends,  the  Esquimaux.  Cajjt.  Buddington  commanded 
one,  and  I\Ir.  Ciiester  the  other,  boat. 

Once  under  way,  tlie  feeling  of  disappointment  and  in- 
seiurity  was  soon  di.-:j)e]k'd,  and  the  spirits  of  the  entire 
party  were  raised  to  a  liigh  jiiteh  by  finding  that  the  boats 
Bailed  remarkably  well,  and  were  easy  to  pu" 

The  first  day,  Sonntiig  Bay  was  reached.  After  remain- 
\ug  there  a  short  time  to  recuperate  their  energies,  tb« 


* 


■■^--f* 


THE   CRISIS    AND    RESCUE. 


645 


part  f  made  for  Hacbut  Island.  There  the  expedition  waa 
brought  to  a  standstill.  A  tremendous  gale  of  wind  blew, 
and  snow  fell  continuously  for  two  or  three  days.  For- 
tunately, however,  immense  flocks  of  auks  were  encoun- 
tered, the  men  killing  eight  or  ten  at  a  shot.  Such  sup- 
plies of  fresh  provisions  were  very  thankfully  received. 

A  few  (lays  later,  they  once  more  embarked  in  their 
tiny  craft,  and  sped  southward  with  a  will.  At  times 
they  were  sorely  beset  with  the  ice,  and  apprehensions 
were  felt  that  they  would  come  to  grief.  But,  happily, 
the  greater  part  of  the  time,  they  had  almost  clear  water. 
And  the  men,  realizing  the  necessity  of  energy  and  the 
desirableness  of  cheerful  good  humor,  worked  away  ia 
good  spirits,  making  excellent  progress;  throughout  each 
day  and  each  night,  when  a  floe  or  field  was  within  reach, 
they  would  pull  the  boats  up  upon  it  and  take  everything 
out  of  them  to  avoid  strain  upon  their  frail  sides  and  bot- 
toms. Then  a  hot  meal  would  be  cooked  and  thankfully 
partaken  of.  The  apparatus  for  cooking  were  exceedingly 
simple  and  limited.  Each  boat  carried  a  lot  of  the  rig- 
ging of  the  Polaris  and  a  can  of  oil,  and  with  these  a  fire 
would  be  made  in  the  bottom  of  an  old  iron  bucket.  With 
Bucb  appliances  it  was  possible  only  to  make  tea,  but  this 
was  acceptable  and  refreshing.  And  then,  after  a  night's 
rest,  early  in  the  morning  they  would  again  launch  and 
load  their  little  craft  and  push  forward. 

Thus  they  proceeded  onward  at  a  good  rate  of  speed 
till  thoy  reached  Cape  Parry,  and  a  few  miles  below,  at 
Fitz  Clarence  Rock,  they  encamped  for  a  day  and  two 
nights. 

Pushing  o.'ward  from  here,  they  reached  Cape  York  on 
the  21st  of  June,  and,  two  days  later,  when  they  had  gone 
Bonie  twenty-five  miles  farther  south,  their  intense  joy  may 
be  conceived,  but  cannot  be  depicted,  on  beholduig  a  vessel 
in  the  ofiing.  This  vessel  proved  to  be  the  Scotch  whaler, 
Rarenscraig,  of  Dundee. 


646 


CAPT.    ALLAN  S    ACCOUNT. 


I 


Gvpt.  Allan,  of  the  whaler,  tells  the  story  of  the  rescua 
in  the  following  graphic  style: 

"  We  entered  Melville  Bay  (no  other  ships  in  company) 
on  the  8th  of  Juno,  and  proceeded  north  under  steam,  witli 
occasional  stoppages,  until  the  loth,  when  a  very  violent 
gale  from  the  southwest  broke  up  the  laud  ice,  completely 
blocking  the  passage  in  every  direction,  rendering  the 
navigation  slow  and  uncertain,  while  very  little  progress 
was  made,  as  the  winds  continued  to  prevail  from  the 
sou  Ui west.  At  length,  after  great  difficulty,  the  ship 
readied  latitude  75  dcg.  38  min.  north,  longitude  65  deg. 
35  min.  west.  Cape  York  being  plainly  in  sight,  bearing 
nortliwest  (true)  about  twenty-five  miles  distant.  Here  a 
complete  stop  was  come  to,  and  the  vessel  was  in  imminent 
danger  of  being  crushed  by  the  heavy  floes  which  sur- 
rounded her.  In  this  position,  on  the  morning  of  the  23d 
of  June  at  four  A.  M.,  the  look-out  from  the  '  crow's  nest' 
reported  that  a  party  supposed  to  be  Esquimaux  were 
making  their  way  over  the  pack-ice  toward  the  ship.  At 
this  time  they  were  a  long  way  distant,  probably  thirteen 
or  fourteen  miles,  and  appeared  to  move  very  slowly.  By 
nine  A.  M.  the  strangers  had  advanced  a  mile  or  two  nearer 
and  came  to  a  halt.  We  could  then  just  make  out  that 
they  were  not  Esquimaux,  and  could  distinguish  two  boats, 
each  of  which  displayed  a  small  flag  on  a  pole,  but  owing 
to  the  distance  and  refraction  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
make  this  out  with  certainty.  However,  concluding  they 
had  seen  us,  our  ensign  wjus  hoisted  as  a  reply  signal,  and 
eighteen  picked  men  were  sent  ofl"  to  render  any  assistance 
re<iuired,  while  the  strangers  were  observed  to  detach  two 
of  their  number  in  the  direction  of  the  vessel.  When 
these  met  our  party,  the  whole  proceeded  onward  to  the 
b'^ats,  and  a  messenger  was  sent  back  to  inform  us  of  the 
news.  At  five  r.  m.  the  entire  lot  started  for  the  ship,  and 
uome  idea  of  the  difliculty  of  traveling  over  such  ice  may 
be  formed  from  the  fact  that  it  was  twelve  midnight  befor* 


THE    RESCUE    PROVIDENTIAL. 


647 


they  got  on  board,  having  been  nearly  seven  hours  In  trav- 
ersing a  distance  of  about  twelve  miles.  This  arose  from 
the  soft  and  slushy  state  of  the  deep  snow  covering  the  ice, 
while  myriads  of  huge  hummocks  were  piled  and  heaped 
everywhere  over  the  surface,  which  was  also  much  sjjlit 
and  full  of  treacherous  holes,  into  which  many  a  llounder 
took  place.  The  party,  on  reaching  the  ship,  were  made 
heartily  welcome  and  as  comfortable  as  the  means  at  our 
command  could  possibly  supply.  They  ajipcared  tired 
and  weather-beaten,  but  in  good  health  and  high  spirits  at 
having  fallen  in  with  a  '  Scotch  whaler,'  for  which  ves- 
tjcls  thoy  were  on  the  lookout,  their  commander  knowing 
(he  being  once  in  the  trade  himself)  that  about  tliis  time 
tlie  whalers  passed  through  Melville  Bay.  The  party 
were  delighted  to  hear  from  us  of  the  safety  of  their  com- 
rades, from  whom  they  parted  (adrift  on  an  ice-floe)  last 
October.  They  never  expected  to  hear  of  them  more,  and 
were  much  surprised  at  their  miraculous  escape  from  what 
appeared  a  certain  if  not  a  speedy  death.  It  was  doubt- 
IciJg,  also,  a  truly  providential  circumstance  that  placed 
the  Ravenscraig  iu  a  position  to  pick  up  this  party  of 
castaways." 

That  Capt.  Allan  is  right  in  ascribing  to  Providence 
the  opportune  arrival  of  the  Ravenscraig  we  may  sec  by 
considering  the  condition  of  our  friends,  and  their  resources 
as  regards  food,  the  state  of  their  boats,  and  the  iinpracti- 
c»bility  of  traveling  on  foot — a  distance  of  at  least  300 
miles — over  such  treacherous  ice  as  then  covered  the  ex- 
panse of  I\[elville  Bay.  Only  about  six  days'  jjrovisions 
were  left,  although  divided  with  the  utmost  economy  ;  and, 
even  with  plenty  of  ammunition  and  arms,  sufficient  food 
could  not  in  all  probability  have  been  o!)tJiined  to  su])port 
fourteen  men  during  a  long  and  toilsome  march.  Bears, 
seal-i  and  birds  are  scarcely  to  be  got  at.  Dr.  Kane,  on 
the  same  track,  had  the  utm,)st  difficulty  in  shooting  two 
icals,  while  he  had  the  invaluable  aid  of  a  trained  hunter, 


648 


AT  DUNDEK. 


also  two  good  boats,  and  open  water  along  the  floe  edge ; 
but  the  boats  of  our  Polaris  friends  both  were  stove  aa 
soon  as  they  got  entangled  in  the  Melville  Bay  pack. 
The  first  portion  of  their  voyage  had  been  performed,  aa 
we  have  seen,  in  open  water  for  the  most  part,  so  that 
their  greatest  difficulties  were  only  begun  when  they  fell 
in  with  the  whaler.  Moreover,  the  rest  of  the  journey 
must  have  been  attempted  without  shelter  of  any  kind ; 
in  fact,  they  were  totally  unprepared,  both  as  regards 
boats  and  clothing,  for  such  an  arduous  undertaking.  It 
is,  therefore,  highly  probable  that  any  further  attempt  on 
their  part  to  reach  the  most  northern  Danish  settlement 
must  have  ended  in  disaster  to  the  entire  party. 

After  the  party  had  all  been  gotten  on  board,  the 
Ravenscraig  was  detained  in  the  pack-ice  of  the  btvy 
till  July  4th,  when  she  got  loose.  She  continued  oa 
her  northward  course,  and  got  into  north  water ;  thence 
crossing  to  Lancaster  Sound  on  the  7th,  she  spoke  the 
steamship  Arctic,  to  whicli  vessel  seven  of  the  rescued 
party  were  transferred  ;  and  on  the  17th,  three  more  were 
put  on  board  the  Intrepid,  in  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  while 
Capt.  Buddington,  Mr.  Morton  and  two  others  remained 
in  the  Ravenscraig  until  the  20th  of  August,  when  they 
too  joined  the  Arctic,  anxious  to  secure  an  early  i)assage 
to  Dundee.  It  was  deemed  advisable  thus  to  divide  the 
party  among  the  vessels  of  the  fleet,  on  account  of  the 
strain  on  the  provisions  of  one  siiip  and  the  uncertain 
future  of  the  voyage. 

Shortly  afterward  the  three  who  had  gone  on  board 
the  Intrepid  joined  their  comrades  on  tlit  Arctic,  as  the 
latter  was  about  to  sail  I'or  Dundee. 

The  Arctic,  with  the  entire  party,  readied  Dundee  ou 
the  18th  of  September,  and  were  received  with  inunense 
enthusiasm  by  tlie  people,  high  and  low  alike  turning  out 
to  welcome  them  to  their  city. 

Telegrams  were  at  once  sent  to  the  Secretar-'  of  the 


AT   WASHINGTON. 


649 


Navy  am  to  some  of  the  A  aerican  papers,  announcing 
the  joyiul  news,  and  it  spread  with  great  rapidity  over 
tlie  country,  h ihng  all  hearts  with  grateful  joy,  that  not. 
withstanding  the  disasters  that  overwhelmed  the  Polaris 
expedition,  her  precious  freight  of  human  beings  had  all 
except  Uiegallant  Capt.  Hall,  been  rescued  from  the  perils 
and  suffenngs  that  had  beset  them,  and  restored  to  more 
congenial  and  safe  latitudes. 

The  Sec-retary  of  the  Navy,  through  the  United  States 
consul  at  Dundee,  took  immediate  measures  for  the  com- 
tort  of  the  rescued  men,  aud  to  have  them  sent  home  by 
the  first  steamer. 

Accordingly,  they  were  shipped  as  passengers  on  the 
Inman  steamer  City  of  Antwerp,  and  reached  the  quaran- 
tu.e  station  of  New  York  early  in  the  morning  of  the  4th 
of  October.  Here  they  were  met  by  the  United  States 
Bt^-im-tug  Capulca,  to  which  they  were  transferred  and 
carried  to  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  where  they  were 
reoeived  on  board  the  United  States  steamer  Talapoosa, 
and  conveyed  to  Washington. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  pursued  the  same  course 
With  this  party  as  with  that  of  Capt.  Tyson,  subjecting 
each  one  to  a  separate  and  searching  questioning,  with  the 
view  to  ascertain  all  the  fact«  connected  with  the  successes 
and  failures  of  the  expedition,  and  especially  in  relation 
to  the  death  of  Capt.  Hall.  The  testimony  is  voluminous. 
and  It  IS  sufficient  to  say  that,  in  all  essential  points,  it 
corroborates  that  of  the  former  party,  which  we  have 
spoken  of  in  a  former  chapter.  It  puts  completely  at 
rest  all  questions  as  to  Capt.  Hall's  death,  and  clearly 
proves  that  he  died  from  natural  causes. 

Thus  ends  the  history  of  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
exploring  expeditions  ever  undertaken.  We  have  spoken 
of  its  rrsults  in  Chapter  XXIV..  and  here  only  remark 
that  it  is  ("vident  that  the  death  of  its  great  commander 
•Joiie  pi  evented  it  from  proving  the  most  complete  success, 


650 


AT    WASHINGTON. 


Mnd,  even  with  llio  subsequent  disasters  and  failures,  it  lias 
been  iiii  lionor  to  our  country  and  its  projectors  both  in  its 
conception  and  its  execution. 


n 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

TIIK  SI.EDOF.  .lOUKNKV  OP  LIEUT.  SIIIWATKV    r    <■     a       ^r^ .  c  ^ 

TiriUU  ACCOI.NTS.— VISIT  TO    \   rviJlv       i,,,-k.,.,  1  111,    IN  M  |  |  ,^._ 

uKi,T.  ,nv..„.  K.  ..-::z^^::::-::'::::::  :;;;;■;;:-;;;:- 

-UK..US    OK    KKANKMN-S    >^X™.>.TION.-CA>nwNU    O^       ^U    su  ^J 
.  —  V,  OCTOBKU,   mi.,  TO  MAKCII  .U.SO.-U.TUlJ 'to  TUB  UMT^ 

In  1H78,  tlie  search  for  the  records  of  tlio  Sir  John 
l-nmkhn  exp(>.litio.,  was  renewed  by  Li.-nt.  Schwalka,  V 
h.  A  hut  notlnn^r  was  acco.n|dKshed  in  this  direction,  sim- 
ply  because  no.hi,,,.  was  po.ssihie.  Ti,e  journey,  however, 
has  added  facts  of  value  to  tiie  domain  of  geography,  and 
US  records  exiuh.t  an  experience  of  remarkable  ener.^;  per 
severance,  and  fortitude,  which  entitle  it  to  a  worthv  place 
n.  the  story  of  American  exploration.  The  slchnn-Zhas  no 
J>urallel  in  Arctic  history.  " 

The  immediate  occasion  of  the  expedition  was  ,|,e  r.- 
nowal  of  the  old  story  bronj^ht  back  fVom  the  Neit-chi-lli 
Kskimos  l>y  two  American  whaling-masters,  Captains  Potter 
Hud  lJarry,that  books  and  papers  were  to  be  found  in  a 
ca.rn  n,  King  William  Land.  The  first  of  these  stories 
H|>P"urs  to  have  been  related  by  ('apt.  Potter  in  1872;  he 
I'ad  been  frozen  up  twenty-four  nu.nths  in  Kepulse  IJav,  and 
«l..--nce  brought  to  New  York  spoons,  forks  and  knivVs  en- 
graved with  the  crests  and  initials  of  Franklin,  Crozier  and 
*it/.  James  ;  reporting  that  the  Neit-chi-Uies  Lad  spoken  of 

651 


p*' 


It  , 


662 


LIEUT.    SCHWATKA'S    EXPEDITION. 


papers  nnd  books  laid  away  in  a  cairn  by  the  last  wliito  man 
who  liad  visited  their  country. 

Tliis  report  was  again  ronewod  in  1877,  on  the  return  of 
Capt.  Barry,  one  of  Potter's  former  companions,  and  led 
to  the  presumption  tliat  the  books  miglit  be  tlie  ship's  logs 
and  notes  of  scientific  observations.  For  their  recovery  the 
British  Government  for  many  years  hud  held  open  u  large 
reward,  nnd  although  this  had  now  lapsed,  Messrs.  Morri- 
son and  Brown,  owners  of  Barry's  vessel,  the  "  Eothen," 
were  olficially  informed  that  if  the  proposed  search  were 
successful,  liberal  compensation  would  be  made. 

Lieut.  Frederick  Schvvatka,  of  the  3rd  U.  S.  Cavalry,  of 
Polish  descent,  but  American  birth,  had  previously  become 
eager  to  organize  a  search  party  and  find  the  cairn  and 
buried  papers.  On  conference  with  the  shipping  merchants 
named,  his  offer  to  organize  an  expedition  was  accepted  and 
the  sliip  fitted  out  by  private  subscrijjtions. 

On  June  19th,  1878,  Schwatka  sailed  from  New  York, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  .Villiam  H.  Gilder  as  second  in  com- 
mand; Henry  Klutscliak,  who  had  passed  through  some 
Arctic  experiences;  Melms,  an  old  whaleman;  and  Joe 
Ebierbing,  who  had  returned  from  his  last  Polar  expedi- 
tion,  under  Capt.  Young,  of  the  '■  Pandora."  The 
"  Eothen,"  commanded  by  Capt.  T.  F.  Barry,  was  a  stout 
vessel  of  one  hundred  and  two  tons ;  her  crew  numbering 
twenty-three  men.  For  encounters  with  the  ice,  her  hull 
had  l)een  overlaid  to  the  chain  plates  with  oak  planking  one 
and  a  half  inches  thick,  and  her  stem  covered  with  oak  two 
feet  thick  ;  the  iron  plating  on  it  tiiree-fourtlis  of  an  inch. 

With  the  instructions  furnished  to  the  lieutenant,  he 
was  advised,  should  lie  be  so  fortunate  as  to  find  the  records, 
remains,  or  relics,  to  keep  the  contents  of  the  records  a 
secret,  and  in  the  case  of  the  remains  of  Sir  John  Franklin 
or  any  of  his  party,  he  should  properly  take  care  of  them, 
and  bring  them  to  tlie  United  States.    Siiould,  on  the  other 


LIEUT.    SCinVATKAS    EXPEDITIOX.  653 

Imml,  tl.o  rxpclition  fail  in  its  cl.ief  object,  then  ho  should 
make  it  a  g.'ogniphioal  success,  «s  he  would  bo  compelled  to 
travel  ov.t  a  great  deal  of  unexplored  count.7,  by  making 
daily  observations  to  discover  and  note  errors  on  tiio  exist- 
ing  ciiarts. 

On  August  7th,  Schvvntka  reached  Whale  Point,  at  the 
entrance  of  Howe's  Welcome,  an  arm  of  Hudson  Bay 
where  ho  was  soon  visited  by  several  of  the  natives  who  had 
been  companions  of  Capt.  Hall  on  his  second  expedition. 
The  people  seenied  friendly  disposed,  and  on  consultation 
over  the  charts,  it  was  decided  to  go  to  the  mainland  near 
Depot  Island,  and  spend  the  winter.  The  journey  west- 
ward  would  be  begun  in  the  early  part  of  the  sprin-. 

It  was  while  spending  the  winter  here,  tliat  inves'ti-ationa 
led  to  the  discovery  that  the  story  which  had  be°en  the 
chief  means  of  bringing  Lieut.  Schwafka  from  the  States 
was  supremely  ridiculous.  Mr.  Gilder  says,  that  "  so  far  as 
Capt.  Barry  and  his  clews  were  concerned,  we  had  come  on 
a  fool's  errand." 

Schwatka,  however,  decided  not  to  abandon  the  search 
and  his  decision  was  afterward  fully  justified  by  the  labors 
of  the  expedition  and  its  results.    He  knew  what  was  before 
him,  and  with  whom  he  had  to  deal,  and  would  not  return 
empty-handed.     To  verify  the  statements  made  by  Nu-tar- 
ge-ark  and  other  natives-neariy  the  same  with  thos..  made 
to  Capt.  Hail   in   1  HOD,  "  that  very  many  skeletons  still  lay 
on  the  ground  in  King  William  Land,  invisible  in  winter  by 
being  covered  with  snow,"_as  well  as  to  determine  finally 
in  regard   to  the  records,  a  journey  would  now   be  under- 
taken  to  the  distant  regions.    For  this,  the  first  tliin-  neces- 
sary was  to  get  full  dog-teams,  for  which  Gilder  se^out  on 
a  visit   to  tiie   Kiiinepatoos,  seventy  miles  west  and  north 
from   Marble  Island.     He  was  the  first  white  man  to  visit 
them,  the  first  ever  seen  by  a  number  of  them  ;  but  all  were 
friendly,  even  at  his  first  entry  to  their  igloos. 


654 


LIEUT.    SCIIWATKA's    EXl'KDITION. 


\*! 


On  Ilia  return  from  the  village,  after  securing  a  tew  dogs, 
Gilder  disiiovercd  two  lakes,  which  ho  named  respectively 
lirevoort  and  Duryea,  and  reconnoitered  the  southeast 
shore  of  Depot  Island,  the  mouth  of  Chesterfield  Bay  and 
its  islands,  and  Marble  Islaiul ;  he  also  discovered  a  river, 
winch  ho  named  the  Connery,  und  which  by  its  course 
appeared  to  indicate  the  proper  route  to  King  William 
Land. 

Within  the  same  period,  Lieut.  Schwnfka  made  a  prelim- 
inary sledge  journey  to  the  north,  discovered  a  river  wliicli 
he  named  Lorillard,  and  a  chain  of  hills  which  he  named 
the  Iliizard  Kange ;  to  their  summit  he  gave  the  name 
Wheeler.  IJy  astronomical  observations  and  surveys,  he 
determined  that  the  west  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay  in  that  sec- 
tion had  been  laid  down  on  the  charts  about  2"^  too  far  to 
the  west. 

April  1st,  1879,  he  began  his  sledge  journey  of  eleven 
months,  covering  a  distance  of  three  tli()n!;and  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  accompanied  by  thirteen  Innuit  men,  women, 
and  children.  Tiieir  sleds,  drawn  by  forty-two  dogs,  bore 
weights  of  about  five  tliou.^and  pounds — loads  which  would 
be  each  day  lessened  by  the  rationing  of  the  walrus-meat  to 
men  and  dogs.  It  was  scarcely  more  than  a  month's  supply, 
but  the  party  were  reasonably  expecting  to  get  their  subsist- 
ence from  the  game  which  they  would  continually  find  to 
increase  in  number  with  the  opening  season.  Th<'ir  general 
course  was  noi  tli-nortliwest ;  it  was  the  most  direct  route, 
but  led  them  across  land  up  to  that  date  unvisited  by  a 
white  man,  and  unknown  to  the  Innuits. 

For  the  first  few  days  tlw^  journey  was  one  of  exceeding 
fatigue,  the  men  having  frecpiently  to  put  on  their  harness 
in  order  to  help  the  dogs  over  some  ridge  or  through  a 
snow  drift.  The  Connery  and  the  Lorillard  rivers  were 
crossed,  and  on  the  27lh  of  April,  by  the  Chart,  they  should 
have  reached  the  Wager  River,  but  they  saw  nothing  of  it  j 


H' 


LIEt-T.    SCnWATKA's    KXPEDITION.  605 

n  fact  wliich  may  explain  Hall's  being  lan<lc..l  at  a  mistaken 
point,  as  stated  in  liis  rq.ort.     The  cliaii«  of  Hudson    Bay 
have    unsled    the   whalers.     By    the   'ilst,    hovvver,  they 
reached  Lat.  6r,^  45',  across  the  AVager  River;  and  by  the 
9th    of  May    were  following  a  branch  of   Hack  or  Fish 
River,  which  they  name.l  after  President  1  layes.     Here,  on 
May  l^tli,  they  fell  in  with  a  party  of  ()„k-j(,8-liks   whose 
chief  gave  them  their  first  direct  news  of  the  missing  navi- 
gators.     These  people   were  miserably  p,,,,,-  and  without 
food.        Supplied   by    Schwatka    w.th    reia.leer-meat,    of 
which  he  had  already  found  an  abundance,  they  became  very 
friendly,  assisted  in  building  iglocs,  and  gave  further  valued 
information   of  Franklin's  party.     This  was  in    part  sub- 
stantially  the  same  with  that  learned  by  Hall,  viz.:  that  a 
ship  had  been  found  in  the  ice  off    the  west  coast  of  Ade- 
laide  Peninsula,  and  that  knives,  spoons,  and  utensils  had 
been  taken  out  by  cutting  a  hole  into  the  ship  on  the  level 
with  the  ice,  as  "-ey  did  not  know  how  to  get  inside  by  the 
doors  ;   they  saw  no  bread  ;  they  saw  books  on  board  and 
left  them  there  ;  and  when  the  ice  broke  up  in  tiie  follow- 
ing summer,  the  ship  filled  through  the  hole  they  had    cut, 
and  sank. 

Taking   some  of  tiiese  men   with  him,  Schwatka,  after 
four    more    marches,    reached    Back    River,    and    thence 
searched  in  vain  on  Montreal  Island  for  the  reported  cairn. 
He  then  again  took  tlu;  mainland,  and  after  ciossing  Rich- 
ardson  Point,  for  tiie  first  time,  fell  in  with  the  Neit-dii-llis 
proper.     One  of  these  had  seen  books  and  i)apers  scattered 
around  the  rocks,  with  knives,  forks,  and  watches  ;  another 
as  late  as  the  previous  summer  had  picked  up  relics  on  the 
west  coast  of  Adelaide  Peninsula,  and  pointed  out  the  place 
where  the  ship  had  sunk  ;  others  had  seen   the   white  men 
putting  up  a  tent,  some  of  their  number  being  in    a  boat; 
Rome  of  the  white  men  were  very  thin,  their  mouths   dry, 
hard,  and  black  ;  they  had  no  fur  clothing  on  ;  in    the  fol- 


if  if 


lif'i 


650 


LIKDT.    SCUWATKA'S    KXl'EDITIOM. 


m 


I 


lowing  spring  ft  tent  luid  Ix'on  Hpon  «tan«liiig  on  tlin  elioro 
Witli  u  greiit  many  dcml  bodies  iiinitlu  and  oulsidi! ;  no  fk'tdi 
on  tliein.  TIkto  were  knives,  lorkw,  Ppoons,  wHtclics,  niuny 
books;  Luttlio  hooks  woro  not  doenu'd  of  sutlicient  import- 
ance by  tiifse  natives  to  lake  note  of.  Tiiey  were  donbtless 
destroyed  by  tlie  natives  }  pcrliups  those  at  Beecher  Island 
uIho. 

On  .Time  4th,  Schwatka  and  Gilder  visited  a  now  cairn 
reported  to  have  been  erected  by  wliito  men  near  PfetTer 
liiver.  It  was  found  to  be  the  one  erected  by  Capt.  Hall, 
May  12th,  18GI),  over  the  bones  of  two  of  Franklin's  men 
wiiich  he  had  there  discovered,  and  it  confirmed  an  impress- 
ion on  Schwalka'.s  party  th  ",  the  wiiito  men  spoken  of  in 
the  tent  were  all  ollicers,  and  that  the  books  reported  to 
have  been  found  in  a  tin  case  were  the  more  important 
records  of  the  expedition  in  their  charge.  At  the  site  of 
a  camp — probably  that  of  Crozier — after  abandoning  his 
ship  off  Cape  June  Franklin,  were  found  cooking-stoves, 
with  their  kettles,  besides  clothing,  blankets,  canvas,  etc.,  and 
an  open  grave  in  which  was  a  (juantity  of  blue  cloth,  sonic 
canvas,  gilt  buttons,  and  the  objcict-glass  of  a  teles(:o|)e.  On 
one  of  tiie  stones  at  the  foot  of  the  grave  was  a  solid  silver 
medal  two  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter  with  a  bas-relief  por- 
trait of  George  IV.  on  the  obverse,  and  on  the  reverse  a  laurel 
wreath  surrounded  by  the  words  "  Georgius  IV.,  D.  G. 
Brittaniarnm  Ilex,  1820,"  and  on  the  left  a  laurel  wreath 
surrounded  by,  •'  Second  Mathematical  Prize,  lloyal  Naval 
College,"  and  inclosing  "Awarded  to  John  Irving,  midsum- 
mer, 1H81."  This  at  once  identified  the  grave  as  that  of 
Lieut.  John  Irving,  third  officer  of  the  "Terror;"  under 
tlie  head  was  a  fignrod-silk  pocket  handkerchief,  remarkably 
well  preserved.  The  skull  and  a  few  other  bones  found 
were  carefully  gathered,  and  on  the  return  of  the  expedi- 
tion sent  to  the  grateful  relations  of  Lieut.  Irving  in  Scot- 
land.    These  were  the  only  remains   which   could   be  sulfi- 


^"KS?"'"  ^ 


IIKIJT.    BCIIWATKA'S    EXl'KIJITION. 


m 


c.en  ly    1.  ..nt.fl...l  ,„  warrant  tla-ir  rc,nov„I.     Ih.t  by  Un, 

k.n.l  y  C..n«t.a„  .u.,   Lieut.  Sd.watka  a.l.le.l  ano.h.V.^ 

|'>..al  t-.nnony  a«  wdl  an  o„o  of  hnma,.  f.^ling  tovvar  ^ 

hu.  Ian...nt...l  ..av.gntorH  ;  C'apt.   Hall   l.avi,,,    ,,.,Hi,,„„.,,  ,^ 

.ko  duty    ...    1H«.     by  ...ulin,   t,...o..,,.  ,{;,  J,,.,,^^,,     '  ^^ 

H.ook  yn.  and  A.ln.in.l  l,.,IenHd.  R.  N.,  ren.ai...  n^ter- 

wurdH  by  a  plug  ,„  „  tooth  identi.i..d  in  England  us  tbo..e  of 

Ijieut.  Vt'scomto  of  the  "  Krebus." 

Lieut.  SchwH.l^a'8  party  roached  Cape   Fdix,  the  most 
no.thern  point  of  King  Willia.n    Land,  on  July   .'hd      To 
reach  tldn  point  tl.ry  had  cached  all  their  heavy  stuff  in  „r 
de,- to  lighten  the  nled  as  much  «a  possible,  but  had  foun.l 
the.r  journey  one  of  exceeding  fatigue,  the  walking  brin-- 
.ng  to  then,  new  tortures  daily.     They  were  either  wadi.rjj 
through  tre«che,-ou,s  frozen  tor.-ents  or  lake.,  or  painfully 
plod<  .ng  in  soft  sealski,.  boots  over  sharp  elay  stones,  some 
of  wh.ch  slippe.l,  sliding  their  «nwa.y  feet  into  crevices  that 
would  seemingly  w.-ench  tliem  from  the  body.     Yet  they 
moved  about  te..  miles  a  day,  nnd  made  as  tho,-oughHsea.-ch 
as  was  possible.     Three  miles  south  of  tlie  cape  was  foun.l 
a  torn-down  cairn  containing  among  other  tilings,  pieces  of 
an  orname.ited  china  teacup,   and  cans  of  pi-eserved  pota- 
toes;  i.Hlu-alions  that  the  spot  had  been  a  pe.ma.n-nt  canuv 
ing-place  (.-on.  the  ships,  and  in  charge  of  an  off.eer      Two 
miles  back  fron.  the  coast  was  a.ioiher  well-built  cai.-n  or 
p.llar,  seven  feet  high,  which  had  been  built  on  a  prominent 
hill  ove.-Iooking  both  coasts.     This  Schwatka  took  ca.efnlly 
down  without  meeting  with  any  reco.-d  or  mn.k  whiifve,- 
Hfgretting  that  the  only  one  left  standing  on  Kin-  William 
Land,   built  by  the    hands   of  white  men,  should  thus  bo 
found,  he  rebuilt  it.  depositing  in   it   a  record  of  the  woik 
done  by  his  party  to  that  date.     After  a  thorough  examina- 
tion of  the  locality,  it  was  plain  that  Sir  John  Franklin  had 
not  been  buried  thei-e. 

On    the  7th   of  July,  the  march  from  Cape  Felix  was 

42 


658 


LIEUT.    SCHWATKA'S    EXPEDITION. 


tiiken  soutliward,  and  a  cairn  very  much  like  the  last  was 
met  with.  Ill  the  fust  course  of  stones  waw  a  paper  with  u 
carefully  drawn  liand  on  it,  the  index  linger  pointing  in  a 
southerly  direction.  Any  writing  upon  it,  if  ever  made, 
liad  totally  disappeared,  nor  could  any  other  relics  he  found. 
It  was  presumed  that  these  last  two  cairns  had  heen  huilt 
by  the  Franklin  Expedition  lor  some  scientific  i)uriiose  only. 
Its  scientific  records,  so  long  desiied,  especially  those  made 
here,  near  the  Magnetic  Pole,  were  not  to  he  seen. 

The  party  continued  their  coast  journey,  finding  at  differ- 
ent points,  tenting  places  of  both  white  men  and  natives, 
and  another  cairn  which  had  been  torn  down,  but  nothing 
left  within.  At  some  distance  from  an  empty  grave  was  a 
skull  which  had  evidently  been  dragged  there  by  wild 
beasts.  Near  by  were  traces  of  native  tenting-places.  Gil- 
der here  states  in  his  narrative  that,  "  wlierever  they  found 
graves  they  always  found  evidences  that  the  natives  had 
eneainpi'd  in  the  neighborhood  like  vultures."  This,  with 
many  other  similar  statements,  was  fully  confiiinatory  of 
the  records  made  by  Capt.  Hall  in  18(51). 

Tiie  party  went  on  to  P^rebus  Hay,  on  the  south  side  of 
which  they  found  the  wreck  of  a  ship's  boat,  pieces  of  cloth, 
canvas,  iron  and  human  bones.  The  prow  and  stern  part 
of  the  boat  were  in  good  conditidii,  and  its  eliiikered  boards 
measuring  twenty-eight  feet  six  inches  to  where  they  were 
broken  off,  showed  it  to  ha\e  been  a  very  large  boat.  Por- 
tions of  four  skeletons  were  found  and  buried. 

Here,  by  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice  and  the  melting  of 
tli(!  snow,  it  became  evident  that  sledging  was  over  for  the 
season  ;  it  would  therefore  be  necessary  to  carry  everything 
on  tlie  liaek,  or  upon  the  dogs.  After  a  very  tedious  jour- 
ney, Terror  Bay  was  reached  August  .")il,  and  Sdiwatka  and 
(jilderwerethereleft  alone  until  September  1st,  their  natives 
having  returned  to  the  coast  to  bring  up  some  supplies  willi 
the  empty  sled.     The  two  left  in  camp  obtained  a  plentiful 


n, ' 


«l 


I-IKUT.    SCHWATKA'S    EXPEDITION.  659 

supply  OF  reincleer.     They  searched  the  co„..  „s  far  west  as 
Cape    Crozier,  but  the  tent-place  spoken  of  bv  H,„      !• 

could   not    be   found,  though  1  .Ue  T     LI  '     jTr 
afterwards    learned   H.-.f   if   iv„  ^        "'»°"<5"-     it  was 

now  all  traces  of  it\:X;:r:""''^^^"^'^'^'"^ 

On  the  19th   of  September,  Schwatka  formed  a  nermn 
nent  eamp  for  early  wintering,,  near  GladmTn  Poi^ 
"-row  point  of  Simpson's  Stfait.     Eeinde^  wer  l": 
immense  herds.     Too-Iov-ah  in  one  day  killed    even     " 
nj.nutes.     On   the   30th,  twenty-six  were  k  Lj      ."  T 
October  14th,  no  more  were  seen  ^"'  ^^ 

The  worst  march  of  the  whole  journey  began  December 
lOtli ;  It  became  a  continued  stru--le  for  life  Tl,„ 
of  ash  Which  the  party  took  r.,nri;a:r^;:;r  Cr; 
a  spec.es  of  herring,  soon  ran  out,  and  reindeer  w  "o 
scarce  that  hunters  were  often  absent  several  day  b^o" 
getting  a  shot  at  one.  Farther  south  thev  were  more  1! 
;  .1,  but  the  travelers  had  to  defend  tlLX  In  t" 

r^ruv:  t^"  -t  t  '-"^^-^  ^-ly escaped i-;: 

the:r  hves  The  ren.deer  flesh  was  now  too  lean  to  afford 
good  nounshment,  and  had  ,0  be  eaten,  moreover,  not  on  y 
raw  but  when  frozen  so  stiff  that  it  had  to  be  sl^  J 

mai    b,  s  and  thawed  in  the  mouth ;  and  of  lard  and  '.How 
K.y  had  only  enough  to  light  their  igloos.     More  than  half 
tlie  dogs  died  on  the  route. 

Snow  storms  often  kept  the  party  in  camp  several  days; 
.n«  ot   ,hem   las.u.g  thirteen  days.     The  average  tempeL 

•"u.n  (.)  .  Ibat  of  K-bruary  was  45°;  the  lowest  69°. 
rhe  thermom-ter  stood  CO-  under  the  zero  point  for 
Uvc.,  y.e^,.  several  days,  and  tor  sixteen  da,!  it  was 
bMow  G8  .  The  natives  said  that  the  winter  was  an  un- 
usual y  severe  one.  At  this  point  it  was  determined  to 
«b,u,don  the  nver  and  strike  directly  for  Depot  Island. 
Everything,    even    the    iron   and   wood,    was    seriously 


660 


LIEUT.    SCIIWATKA'S    EXPEDITIOV. 


^it 


n 


affected  by  the  extreme  cohl,  and  when  tlie  p:nns  were 
brought  into  the  warmer  temi)erature  of  the  igloo  only  for 
cleaning,  every  particle  of  the  gathered  moisture  would 
have  to  be  removed  before  they  again  met  tlie  cold.  It 
was  also  a  very  difficult  thing  to  get  near  enougli  to  such 
wary  game  as  the  reindeer,  for  the  sound  of  the  Iiunter's 
footsteps,  thougli  his  shoe-soles  were  covered  with  fin-,  Avas 
carried  by  the  wind  to  be  heard  more  than  a  mile  off.  Yet, 
by  the  superiority  of  the  guns,  whenever  the  party  came 
upon  the  reinaoer,  especially  when  traveling  against  a  head- 
wind, preventing  the  approach  of  the  hunter  from  being 
heard  by  tlie  deer,  the  brcech-loadeis  and  magazine  guns 
did  their  work  so  effectively  that  they  could  lay  in  a  stock 
of  meat  a  day  or  two  ahead  for  the  igloos.  And  but  for 
the  excellent  character  of  the  American  firearms  used,  it 
seems  impossible  that  this  return  journey  could  have  been 
made. 

The  country  also  began  to  swarm  with  wolves.  They 
killed  some  of  the  dogs  and  attacked  the  natives.  On 
February  23d,  twenty  attacked  Too-lov-ah,  who  beat  them 
off  with  the  butt  of  his  gun  until  he  had  killed  one  and 
made  his  escape,  while  the  others  were  fighting  over  and 
devouring  the  carcass. 

On  March  4th,  with  light  sleds  and  by  forced  niarcheg, 
they  reached  Depot  Island,  only  to  learn  from  Arnion  that 
Capt.  Barry  had  not  left  witii  him  tin;  provisions  belonging 
to  the  party,  and  which  ho  had  promised  to  leave  with  that 
faithful  native.  Further,  that  there  was  but  one  ship  in 
the  bay  and  that  was  at  IMarblc  Island.  A  further  jonrni'y 
therefore  became  necessary,  and  which  was  ended  on  the 
21st,  when  the  whaler  "  George  ]\Iary  "  was  boarded  tit 
midnight,   Capt.  Gilder  being  the  first  to  reach  the  ship. 

Thus  was  a  continuous  journey  safely  accomplished 
through  Arctic  snows,  gales,  and  darkness  during  winter 
months,  a  journey  unequaled  in  all  Arctic  history. 


I 


LIEUT.    BCnWATKA's    EXPEDITION.  661 

GiKler  tl.us  sums  up  the  record  in  terms  wljich  are  worth 
a  close  citation  : 

"  During  the  year  that  we  were  absent  from  the  ver-eof 
c.v.hzudon,  as  tlie   winter   harbor  of  the  whalers  ma°y  be 
considered,  we  liad  traveled   two  thousand  eight  lunuhed 
and  nineleen  geographical,  or  tiiree  thousand  two  hundred 
and  fifty-one  statute  miles,  most  of  which  was  over  unex- 
plored    territory,   constituting   the   longest  sledge  journey 
ever  made,  both  as  to  time  and  distance,  and  the  only  ex- 
tended    sledge  journey    ever   accomplished  lA  the  Arctic 
Region  except  such  as  have  been  made  through  countries  well 
known  and  over  routes  almost  as  thoroughly  established  as 
post-roads.     Our  sledge  journey  stands  conspicuous  as  the 
only  one  ever  made  through  the  entire  course  of  an  Arctic 
winter,  and  one  regarded  by  the  natives  as  exceptionally 
cold,  as   the  amount  of  sutfering  encountered  by  those  re- 
maining  at  Depot  Island  attested,  and  further  confirmed 
as  we  afterward   learned,  by   the  experience  of  those  who 
wintered    at  Wager  River,  where  many  deaths  occurred, 
attributable   to  the  unusual  severity  of  the  season.     The 
party   successfully   withstood   the  lowest  temperature  ever 
experienced  by  white  men  in  the  field,  recording  one  obser- 
vation of -71  degrees  Fahrenheit,  sixteen  days  whose  aver, 
age  was  one  hundred  degrees  below  the  freezing  point,  and 
twenty-seven   which  registered  below -60  degrees,  during 
most  of  which  the  party  traveled.     In  fact,  the  expedition 
never  took  cold  into  consideration,  or  halted  a  single  day 
on  that  account. 

"  During  the  entire  journey,  its  reliance  for  food  both  for 
man  and  beast  may  be  said  to  have  been  solely  upon  the 
resources  of  the  country,  as  the  expedition  started  with  less 
than  one  month's  rations,  and  it  is 


white 


first  in  which  the 


men   of  an   expedition  voluntarily  lived  exclusively 


upon  the  same  fare  as  its  Eskimo  assistants,  thus  show 


lUg 


662 


LIEUT.    SCHWATKA's    EXPEDITION. 


that  white  men  can  safely  adapt  themselves  to  the  elimate 
and  lile  of  tlie  Eskimos,  and  prosecute  their  journeys  in  any 
season  or  under  such  circumst;-  ..  -  aa  ncul-I  -no  natives  of 
the  country  themselves. 

"The  expedition  was  the  firb  make  a  summer  search 
over  the  route  of  the  lost  crews  of  tlie  'Erebus'  and 
'  Terror,'  and  while  so  doing  buried  the  remaiiiri  of  every 
member  of  that  fated  party  above  ground,  so  that  no  longer 
the  bleached  bones  of  tliose  unfortunate  explorers  whiten 
the  coasts  of  King  William  Land  and  Adelaide  Peninsula 
as  an  eternal  rebuke  to  civilization,  but  all  have,  for  the 
time  being,  at  least,  received  decent  and  respectful  inter- 
ment. 

"Tiie  most  important  direct  result  of  the  labors  of  the 
expedition  will  undoubtedly  be  considered  the  establishing 
the  loss  of  tlie  Franklin  records  at  the  boat  place  in  Starv- 
ation Cove ;  and  as  ever  since  Dr.  Rae's  expedition  of  1854, 
which  ascertained  the  fate  of  the  jparty,  the  recovery  of  the 
records  has  been  the  main  object  of  subsequent  exploring 
in  this  direction,  the  history  of  the  Franklin  Expedition 
may  now  be  considered  as  closed.  As  ascertaining  the  fate 
of  the  party  was  not  so  gratifying  as  would  have  been  their 
rescue  or  the  relief  of  any  number  of  them,  so  is  it  in  estab- 
lishing the  fate  of  the  record  of  their  labors.  Next  in  im- 
portance to  their  recovery  must  be  considered  the  knowl- 
edge of  their  irrecoverable  loss." 

Tiie  return  of  Lieut.  Seliwalka  and  his  expedition  to 
the  United  States,  on  September  22(1,  1880,  was  a  highly 
gratifying  event  to  all  tiie  friends  of  the  daring  exidorers, 
and  tlie  records  of  his  journey  claimed  the  attentiiin  of  the 
geognipliical  societies  of  England,  Franco  and  America. 
Distinguished  honors  and  acknowledgments  were  awarded 
him,  in  recognition  of  the  invaluable  services  rendered  and 
results  obtained,  amidst  the  tempests  of  the  heavens  and  the 


LIELT.    BCinVATKA'3   EXPEDITION.  6G3 

ice.covcro.l  and  desolate  lands  under  foot,  hy  foresi.d.t,  exec 
m.vo  ability  and  undaimfd  iron  will.  Ili.s  journey  stands 
liic  counterpart  on  land  with  the  drift  of  tho  ice  floe  party 
conducted  by  Tyson  from  the  "Polaris,"  unexampled  in 
history. 


o 

> 

H 

2 
O 

O 

r 
e 
w 

w 

'-« 

w 

c 

r! 

H 
W 


^ 


.:^^:^h^^, 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 


LIEUT.  DE  LONG'S  EXPEDITION  TOWARD  THK  POLE,  18-()-18Sl  -Mil  DENNETT 
l'NDEKTAKESIT.-SEI.l:CTIONOKTl!E  UOUTK.-DE  I.ONO'S  PLANa -THE 
•JEANNETTE  "  COMMl.SSIONED.-SAU.INO  KKOMSAN  FUANCISOO.-AURIVAL 
ATST.  MICI1AEI/8.-ATTEMPT3TOREACII  WUANliELL  AND  HERALD  IS- 
LANUS.-FKOZEN  IN  THE  PACK,  SEPTEMnEH  6.-CHIPP  ATTEMPTS  THE 
CUOSSINO  TO  HERALD  LHLAND.-THE  "  JEANNETTE  "  DUIPTS  NORTHWEST 
PAST  WUANCiELL  LAND-LIEUT.  DANENHOWER  DISAIILED.-UETUUN  OK 
THE  SIIN.-E.XPERI.MENT  OF  THE  WINDMILL  PLMP.-DE  LONG  ABANDONS 
THE  THEORY  OP  THE  CUUKENTS.-SCIENTIPIC  OHSEKVATIONS  KEPT  UP - 
THE  PU(./EN  SU.MMEU.-AUROUAL  PHENO.MENA.-CONTINUED  DRIFT 
N0UTHWE«r.-DISCOVE.tV  OF  ..EANNKTTE  AND  HENRIETTA  ISLANDS.- 
THE  .ILANNETTE-CRrSHED.-LANDINOONTHE  FLOE.  DISCOVERY  OK 
BENNETT  ISLAND. -DE,SCRIPTION  OF  IT  BV  DR.  AMI.LER.-TUE  THREE 
KOATS.-THEIR  SEPARATION.-THE  WHALE  BOAT  PARTY  LAND  ON  THE 
LENA  DELTA.-THE  PIIWT  CUTTER  UNI.KR  DE  LONO.-.Sl  FF.OUINOS.-DE 
LON«  S  LASTENTRIES.-I.ANKNHOWER-S  SEARtMI.- MELVILLE'S  SkVUCH 
-THE  DEAD  TEN  FOUND—THEIR  HIRI  AL.-RETURN  OF  LIFI'T  DANEN- 
HOWER.-SEAKCH  BEdUN  BY  LIEIT.  H  ARHER.-E.N(iINEER  MIIVIILE'S 
BETURN.-Al-PUOPUIATIONTOBUINUTHE  BODIES  HOME.-TUE  RETURN 
OF  THE  llODILS. 

TriK  avowed  object  of  tliis  expedition  wa.s  to  reach  the 
Pole,  aiul  from  tlie  most  autlieiitic  diita  furni.shed  lis,  it  ap- 
pears that  it  was  of  De  Long's  own  promptings.  Shortly 
after  his  return  from  the  "Juniata's"  cruise  on  the  Green- 
land coast  in  search  of  Captain  Hall's  jtarty  of  1873,  he 
soii(;ited  the  aid  of  some  prominent  and  wealtliy  individuals 
to  fit  out  another  Arctic  Expedition.  Mr.  J.  Gordon  Heii- 
iiett  favoraldy  entertained  the  idea  on  its  first  presentation, 
hut  tiie  matter  rested  until  November,  187G,  when  it  was 
decided  to  secure  a  suifable  vessel  and  start  for  the  North 
Pole  the  following  summer. 

No  suitable  vessel  being  found  in  the  States,  De  Long 
GG4 


THE  "JEANNETTK"  TUAOEDV. 


GG5 


went  to  E„^.lancl  on  a  two  months'  k-ave  of  absenoo  from 

^t^U'.h,  .n  .1.0  nor.lu.rn  ,,o.t.  fron.   wind,    vvl.uli,..  vessel 

were  sent  out.  .leeided  tha,  „.e  •'  Pan-Io,.,"  wluH.  iTa.  n      e 

two  A,ot.c  vo^^agos  under  C'ap.ain  Allen  Y<.„„,,  R.  ^  '   .! 

e  „,o.   avudable  shi...     After  receiving  in.onua.ion  o    m" 

.-•"efs  purchase  of  the  vessel,  Do  Long  again  .en    to 

nglan     on  a  seeond  leave  of  absence  f.-on    n^val  du.y  t 

«...  fnally  ready  lor  sea,  shipped  her  crew  at  Cowes.  After 
c-osMng  to   Havre,  where  he  completed  his  e,„ipn,ent  of 
charts,  books  and  instrumenis,   he   sailed   for    S  n    F  a n 
e..co  by  way  of  the  Horn,  July  UnU,  1878.     The  voya- 'e  to 
San    l;rane,seo  consun.ed  one  hundred  and  sixtv-five  days, 

The  "Jeannette"  was  yet  the  private  property  of  Mr 
I  -nett,  but    his    own  judgn.ent  accorded 'fullv   with       e* 

.  M  '"'.'"  r'"'^  "'•^^'"^'  ""•'^"-  ■--''  —"Hi! 
•""'  a   bdl    was    therefore  pron.ptly   introduced  iu,o  Con^ 

j^ress  tiuU  the  (->vernment  should  acc.pt  the ''J.-annette  " 

-  the  purpose  of  a  voyage  of  exploration.    The  act  author- 

.ng    h.s,  prov.ded   that  Mr.  Bennett  might  use   in   fitting 

h.r  fo,  her  voyage  any  materials  he  might  have  on  hand  for 

>t ;  nnght  enhst  the  necessary  crew  for  special  service,  the.r 

m  to  be  temporarily  „„,  from  the  pay  of  the  navy,  and  to 

^     pnul  or  re  uuded  by  bin,  under  the  future  orde'  „f  ..e 

Secretary  of  the  Navy,  as  he  n.ight  issue  these.     The  ship 

-as  to  proceed  on  her  voyage  under  the  instructions  of  the 

Navy   Department,  and   the   men   were   to  be  subject  in  nil 

cpline.    This  Act,  approved  February  27th.  1.S71»,  was  su,> 
pJementiUtothe  one  approved  March  18th,  1878,  which  had 


666 


THE  "jeannette"  tkaoedy. 


autlioriz(!J  fho  Secretary  of  tlie  Treasury  *'  to  issue  nn 
Aincrii-aii  Ueginstur  to  tlio  vessel,  and  tlio  rresident  of  the 
Unileil  Stales  to  detail  witli  tlieir  own  eoiiseut  eoinniissioiiod, 
warrant  and  petty  oiReers  not  to  exceed  ten  in  number,  to 
net  ns  ofTicers  to  said  vessel  during  lier  iirst  voyage  to  the 
Arctic  Seas." 

Under  tin;  authority  of  these  acts,  Secretary  'riiompson 
on  tiie  18th  of  .lunc,  1H7'.>,  gave  I)e  Long  his  instructions, 
which,  however,  left  tin;  details  to  the  experience,  discretion 
nnd  judgnii'iit  of  liie  eoninuind<r.  They  embraced  the  pro- 
vision, tiiat,  on  reaching  Behring  Strait,  he  should  "  make 
diligent  iiH[uiry  at  such  ].oiuts  where  he  deemed  it  likely 
that  information  could  bo  obtained  concerning  the  fate  of 
Professor  Nordeniikiiild ;  if  he  liad  good  and  suilieient  rea- 
sons iov  believing  Nordenskiiild  was  safe,  he  would  proceed 
on  his  voyage;  if  otherwise,  ho  would  pursue  such  a  course 
as  would  be  judged  necessary  for  his  aid  and  relief."     . 

Ten  days  later  the  vessel  was  put  in  comniissif)n,  when  a 
silk  Hag  was  used  which  liad  been  made  by  Mrs.  De  Long 
to  be  unfurled  when  taking  possession  of  any  new-found 
land  and  when  the  highest  latitude  was  reached.  July  8th, 
1879,  Captain  De  Long  reported  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  that  tho  vessel  Ix-iug  in  all  respects  ready  for  the  sea, 
would  sail  at  H  1*.  M.  of  that  day,  and  would  proceed  with  all 
despatch  to  the  island  of  Ounalaska,  and  thence  to  St. 
Paul's  and  St.  Michael's,  Alaska,  at  which  last  point  it  was 
hoped  some  tidings  would  be  had  of  Professor  Nordenskiiild 
and  his  party.  Failing  in  this,  St.  Lawrence  Bay  in  Sibe- 
ria would  be  visited  in  further  quest ;  should  nothing  bo 
learned  there,  tin;  course  would  be;  through  liehring  Strait, 
and  thence  skirting  tlio  coast  of  Siberia  as  fur  westwjird  as 
navigation  woidd  permit. 

The  complement  of  olficers  and  crew  embraced  the  fol- 
lowing names :  George  W.  De  Long,  lieutena'it  U.  S. 
Navy,   commanding  ;  Charles  W.  Chipp,  lieutenant  U.    S. 


T.ir.:    -JEAXNETTE"    THAOEDT.  CC7 

Navy,  executive  olHcer  ;  .F..!.,.  W.  D.„e„|.o,ver,  master   U 
N.  NHvy;(  eor,o  W.  Melville,  pas...,  assistant    ...i,'  u 

U.  b.  Navy;  W.lham  M.  Dunbar,  .seaman,  for  special  C 
«ce  as  ice  pilot;   Jen.n.e  J.  Collins  for  L  ;  ''"""'" ^■ 

-eoro,o,i.t;Raymonai.N.J;.tj':,7:^ 
us   naturalist   and  taxi.lonnist  •     W-il.,.r    I  ! 

^au.e.n,Ka.lett,ti..st.e,assn;.en::rC^^rZy 
-CO.  d-eiass  li,.en.an  ;  John  Cole,  boatswain  ;''Aine ,  SW  ' 
man,  carpenter;  with  seamen  W  V  r  v  .  '"" '^''^'-'*- 
P.  Nc,.-os  M  W  T  II,  ^^■^•^'  Nindeinann,  Louis 
1 .  SSu  OS,  II.  W.  Leaeh,  H.-nry  Wilson,  C.  A.  (i,,,.,,  i. 
K  Johnso:..  Edward  S,.,,-.  Henry  D  Warre  H '  n 
Kaaek,  A.  a  Kuehn.,  F.   K.    Mai,u.    II  p,    /    "' 

A.K,lph  Dressier,  Claudes  Tong  Sin,,  Ai;  Si,;;  It: 

l.auuba.h.      lh..|„ll    l,st    numbered    thirty-two    persons 
and  the  erew  had  been  selected  with  ,reat  cL,  par  ,v  Z n 
the  east  and  partly  from  the   Paeilic   coast.      O  lice.i   a 
crew  were  volunteers.  vyiaui^,    and 

S.eamin.  out  of  ,he  harbor  of  SanFra-u-iseo,  the  'Mean, 
notte"  was  escorted  by  the  Governor   of  Caiif^-nia,    by  " 
number  of  yaeh.s  of  tl„,  San  Francisco  Yacht  Club,  a   [.; 
steam  launches  loaded    down    wi.h    citizens.      Eve  ^^   p 
vvlnehwas    passed  dipped    her   colors,    and   opposite    Fo'^ 
rou.t  .ts,arnson  saluted  the  .Meanuette  "  wi,    twenty  oe 
«uns.     On  the  Hd  of  August  she  reached  O.n.alaska  li  .7 
-v„,g  groped  Lor  way  into  harbor  through   thick   fogs  and 
terrdde  tides,  running  between  one  hundred  or  more  inlands 
J7na.o,.rec,,y  laid  down  on  the  charts  ;.on,e  of 
at  all.     I)e  Lo„.  wrote  that  gc-tting  observation,  was  out  of 

H<pK.t.a^  for  when  he  could  see  the  sea,  he  could    not 

u,  the  l,or,.on  and  that  his  experience  in  getting  through  the 

parses  ,„to  H,.hr,ng  Sea  wns  far  beyond  all  previous  crooked 

-v.gafon  he    had    witnessed.       To    ;he    Secretary   of  th 

Navy  he  wrote  that  from  all  the  intelligence  received  from 


i& , 


f)08 


THE   "JKANNETTE  "   TRAOKDY. 


* 


■ 


tho  iiortliwiird,  tlio  pruviuiia  winti'r  liiul  1  'ii  an  exC(>iition< 
iilly  mild  one  Tlio  rovoiiiiu  cuthT  "  KiisIj  "  liiiil  just  cfimo 
soiitli  Iroiii  licr  cniist!  to  tlio  iiortliwanl,  twenty  inik'n  north 
and  i'ii!«t  of  KuHt  Ciipe,  Siberia,  without  having  eneuuntered 
uny  ice.  Tliis  suumud  to  bo  news  of  u  most  encouraging 
nature. 

I)i!  Long  deplored  tho  necessity  of  Imving  hiaded  hiflsliip 
no  deeply  at  San  Francisco,  since  tiiis  had  ii.,ii!o  the  prog- 
ress so  slow  under  head  wind  and  swell,  that  it  lieeamu 
douhtl'ul  whether  ho  eoidd  profit  by  this  open  water  in  the 
Arctic  >Seu  in  the  effort  to  reach  a  higli  latitude  that  season. 
llo  would  proceed  to  St.  Michael's,  and  if  nothing  eouhl  ho 
lieard  of  Nordenskiiild  there,  from  thence  to  St.  Lawrence 
Bay. 

At  St.  IMiehael's  further  stores  wore  taken  onboard,  forty 
dogs  were  purchased,  and  two  Indians,  Aneguin  and  Alexai, 
were  engaged  as  hunters  and  dog  drivers.  No  news  had 
boon  rocoivod,  nor  had  tho  sclioimer  "  Fanny  A.  Hyde  "  ar- 
rived from  San  Fran(;i.sco  with  coal  and  extra  stores  ;  and 
this  seriously  embarrassed  the  commander.  He  must  wait 
for  coal,  and  must  still  delay  by  crossing  to  St.  Lawrence 
Bay;  moaiHvhile  tho  fine  seiison  was  "slipping  away,  when 
ho  miglit  reacii  Kellett  Land  and  push  on  to  the  northward." 
Tlie  schooner,  however,  came  in  on  the  eigliloonlh,  and  fol- 
lowed the  "  Jeannotte  "  to  the  bay,  which  was  reached  on 
tho  twcnty-fil'th.  Enginc^or  Melville,  from  lliis  point,  wrot(!  : 
*'  It  was  very  fortunate  for  the  ship  that  she  had  the 
schooner  to  cavry  our  extra  coal  and  stores  over  hero,  for  on 
the  way  we  were  cauglit  in  a  terrible  gale  of  wind,  and, 
owing  to  the  condition  of  tiie  shii»,  and  deeply  laden  as  we 
were,  the  sea  had  a  clean  swoop  over  us.  It  stovo  in  our 
forward  parts,  car:iodaway  the  bridge,  caved  thobidk-hends, 
and  in  fact  just  drowned  us  out.  Had  we  the  other  stuff  on 
board,  wo  must  liave  foundered,  or  else  got  it  overboard  in 
time.     We  leave  here  for  East  Cape  to-day,  having   taken 


TIIK    •<JKANNETTE"    TRAOEDY. 


660 


on  board  n  1  o„r  «r„res,  «„.I  ,vo  nro  i„  eve.  muc!,  wor«o  .on 
ondu.o..  .l.„n  wo  wore  bdWo  ,  but  wo  tl.ink    that   .1 1 
...„  wo  ,..t  .n,o  ,1.0  U.0  wI.,.,.o  .ho  wind  nu.'t  rn^o  a  ^ 
>vo  w.ll  bo  all  r..ht.-     Tho  com,nan.!..r    w,„,o   that  as To 

got  out  ou.aronand  into  nohn.,S,.aJ.olb„n'l^ 
alowt.^ 

nn.I    l,at  1  o  hud  oxper.c.n.:..d  a  ^alo  of  thbty  hours    durinj 
v.h...h  ho  had  ,..  lay  tho  «hii,  ,0  and  n.lo  it  o„t  *^ 

Hoforo  loavin.  tho  bay  a  nativo  chiof  told  of  bin  having 
been  hn-o  n.on.l.H  boforg,  on  board  a  stean.or  sn.allor  than 
th  .oann.,,,  .,  Honndonhortwo  oilloors  who  spok 
^-gl-h,  and  a  .h.rd  who  .poke  tho  Tchnktebi  lan.l.e 
■Ne  H  nafvo.  Tho  „a„,c  of  this  o.Iicer.  as  far  as  could  bo 
c..rnodron.tb,s  chief,  was//../,/,/,,  ,1.0  truo  name  bHn. 
"«    I)e    Ln„«  ,,ns,ly    bolievod,    that   of   Liont.    Nord-unst" 

f "'  "■'  "'  '"  'N-o-l-^kioI.l's  v,.ya,..  of  tho  .^  V ,  .'  ' 

|ng  earned  to  «poak  tho  Td,./u..hi  ,on,..o.  Doi;.,  oaL 
..  I  e  oon.lus.on  that  u  was  ?.^,rdon,skiold's  steamer  whid. 
'»J  l-..„  Hrn,  but  as  nothing,  had  been  mado  .ure,  and  his 
^.s  nnthonfo  advices  fron.  tho  .Soorotary  bad  been  that 
p.ofossor  whon  last  hoard  fn.n,,  was  at  Capo  Senl.o 
Camen,  bo  tbon.ht  it  his  duty  to  go  there,  ul.hougb  tho 
d..staneo  was  o„o  hundred  and  thirty  n.iles.  0„  the  tvventy- 
seventh  therefore,  bo  towed  the  transport  sehoonor  out  of 
tl  0  harbor,  and  stood  on  u  northeast  eourso  toward  Ik-brin^ 
otrait.  " 

r   ?';.!.o'/>7"5""'"*''  '•"  """"'f'^'"'  ♦"  ^""'1  af  tho  cane, 
I-  .  <..^  12'  N..  but  found  so  mneh  ue  movin.Mdu.ut  as  to 
inako  tb.s  nnpossiblo.      On  tho  thirtieth   Lieut.  Chipp,  ac- 
c..n,pan,ed    by    Dunbar,  Collins,   and    tho   native    Aiexai 
"'"'<"''  -••"'!  ''■'"•■..■d  through   Alexai  fron.  ,,n  old  s.p.a.v,  thai 
he  stea.ner  had  winte,-ed  on    the   east   eoast    of  Koliutehin 
^i.y  ;  .unl  on  tho  tl,irty-.i.st  .the  san.c  party,  together   with 
iWaster  Danenhower,  at  last  made  sure  by  a  landing  on  the 
bay  that  the  "Vega"    bad   certainly   wintered    there   and 


I 


670 


THE  " JEANNETTE "  TRAGEDY. 


"ono  souUi.  Swedish,  Danish  and  Russian  buttons  found  in 
the  hut  on  shore,  and  traded  for  by  Ciiipp  for  his  vest  but- 
tons as  casli,  were  proofs  enougli  of  the  "Vega's"  visit,  as 
no  other  siiip  has  been  in  that  part  of  the  world  with  Swed- 
ish, Danish  and  Russian  olRcers  on  board.  Papers  were 
also  found  written  in  Swedish  and  having  on  them  the  word 
Stockiiolm.  De  Long  held  divine  service,  all  hearts  being 
thankful  that  at  last  they  knew  that  Nordenskiold  was  safe, 
and  the  "  Jeannette  "  niiglit  proceed  on  her  journey  to 
Wrangell  Land.  Tiie  dehiy  of  the  "Jeannette  "  seemed, 
however,  fatal  to  her  purpose  of  reaching  Wrangell  Land 
for  a  winter  security. 

On   the  sixth  day  following,  the  ship  was  beginning  to  be 
closed  of!"  by    the  remorseless  pack.     On  that  date  his  jour- 
nal  entry  reads  :     "  I  am  hoping  and  praying  to  get  the  ship 
into  Herald  Island  to  make  winter  quarters.     As  far  as  the 
eye  can  range  is  ice,  and  not  only  does  it  look  as  if  it  had 
never  broken  up,  but   it  also   looks  as  if  it  never  would. 
Yesterday,  I  hoped  that  to-day  would  make  an  opening  for 
us  into  the  land  ;   to-day  I  hope  that  to-morrow  will  do  it. 
I  6U})i)ose  a  gale  of  wind  would  break  up  the  packs,  but  the 
pack   might  break  us  up.     This  morning  shows  some  pools 
of  thin  ice   and  water  but  as  they  are  disconnected  and  we 
cannot  jump   the  sliip  over  obstructions,  they  are  of  no  use 
yet  to  us."     On   the  8lh,  he  again  wrote,  "  I  consider  it  an 
exceptional   state  of  the  ice   tliat   we  are  having  just  now, 
and  count  upon  the  September  gales  to  break  up  the  \)i\di, 
and   perhaps  open  leads  to  Herald  Island.    I  want  tlie  ship 
to  be  in    condition  to  move   without  delay.     Besides,  I  am 
told  that  in  tlie  latter  part  of  September  and  tlic  early  part 
of  October  there  is   experienced  in  tliesc  latitudes  quite  an 
Indian    summer,  and  I  shall  not  begin  to  expect  wintering 
in    the  puck,  until  this  Indian  summer  is  given  a  chance  to 
liberate    us."     The    liberation,    as    is   too  well  known,  was 


THE  "JEANXETTE"  TKAOEDr.  C71 

aot  to  come.     Yet  Dp  T.nnr,  n»  *i  • 

see.n.  the  be.t  tl.u  ^JuHl^r^r^^'  '"''''  ''''  '  ^^'^"^'^ 

-a„ee  to  ..e .  .aJtlc^l^i^H^ji^z:;:; 

Iho   "  Jeannette,"  .o.-ked  hard  to  ion.  her  way  wl  11"'; 
a  crack  or  a  narrow  opening  showed  itself  betwcL  the  two 

Jel'th  T  "7«  .*'-/-  °^-  *'-  floes  was  from  tea  to  fifteen 
feet  thu-k  lly  j„,,eiou3  ramming  and  backing  and  ram. 
™.ng  aga,n  the  ship's  head,  by  the  help  of  The  steZ. 
v..nch,  .as  shoved  into  weak  places  where  tife  helm  could  no 
be  turned,  but  within  three  hours,  she  was  brought  fina  ly 
up  agan.  to  solid  "oes  ;  thick  fog  settled  down  u^d  the  ce 
anchors  were  p  anted  This  day  snow-goggles  were  served 
out  o  11  hands  w„h  orders  to  wear  tlu.n.  The  position 
?  o''  ,  n"T-o  r?  f^'^''^'^'  'y  <^^-vation  to  be 
degrees  to  starboard. 

On    September    13th,  at   8   A.    M.,    Lieut.  Chipp  and 
Eng.neer  Melvd.e,  Ice-pi,ot  Dunbar,  and  the  native  Alexai 
rted    out    on    ,he    floe    with    a  sled  and   eight  dogs,  to 
a«.Mnpt  a   lane  mg  on    Herald   l.h.nd,  toward  Le  lia^or 
^  .tlnn    winch  _  De  Long's  lingering  hopes  still  looked.     He 
also  thought  ,t  possible   that  drift-wood  n>igl.t  be  found  on 
the  .shuKl   to   help  out   the  winter's   fuel.     But  the  party 
returned  w.thout  having  n,et  with  any  success  for  either  of 
these  objecs ;  no  place  could  be  seen  offering  any  protection 
for   a  sh.p,    nor   any    .Iriftwood.     Alexai  shot  a  seal  and 
••■•ought   ,t  back  in  the  boat,  and  on  the  second  day  follow- 
1",^-   1)0  Long  and   Melville,  Chipp  and    Dunbar,  shot  two 
|H-ars     aft.T   their    escape    of   some   miles  from  the  traps, 
llif  bill   „f  fare   ,vas   as  yet  sufliciently  comfortable.     l{„t 
"t    the   ch,se  of  tin;  month  the  "  Jea.mette's  »  position  was 
tar  from  being  suci,,  as  she  was  still  hehl  between  the  floes 
us  in   u  vise,   continuously   heeled  over  five  degrees,   and 


672 


THE    "JEANNETTE"    TUAGEDY. 


drifting  with  tiic  pack.  In  the  four  days  from  the  21st,  to 
the  2-ltli,  the  drift  was  twenty  niik's  to  the  north,  one  degree 
west.  Herald  Ishuid  hiul  entirely  disappeared  ;  but  by  a 
change  in  the  drift  to  the  southwest,  by  October  3rd,  tlie 
island  re-appeared  in  plain  sight,  bearing  south-southeast, 
true.  On  tiie  14th,  land  was  again  seen  in  the  same  quar- 
ter and  now  very  distinctly  ;  and  on  the  21st,  another  dis- 
tinct view  was  had,  the  land  appearing  as  one  large  island 
witii  tliree  pcal^s.  Seen  again  on  the  28th,  the  "  Jeannette  " 
being  in  71^  .')-'  N.,  177°  51MY.,  De  Long  believed  it  to  be 
the  north  side  of  Wrangell  Land,  but  he  no  logger  thought 
it  a  continent  ;  it  was  "  eitlier  one  large  island  or  an  archi- 
pelago." 

The  night  of  the  28ih  was  beautiful,  "  the  heavens  were 
cloudless,  the  moon  neaily  full  and  shining  briglitly,  and 
every  star  twinkling  ;  tiie  air  perfectly  calm,  and  not  a  sound 
to  break  the  spell.  The  ship  and  iier  surroundings  made  a 
perfect  picture.  Standing  out  in  bold  relief  against  the 
blue  sky,  every  roi)e  and  spar  with  a  thick  coat  of  snow  and 
frost, — she  was  simply  a  beautiful  spectacle.  The  long  lines 
of  wire  reaching  to  the  tripod  and  observatory,  round 
frosted  lumps  here  and  there  where  a  dog  lay  asleep  ;  sleds 
standing  on  end  against  the  steam-cutter  to  make  a  fore- 
ground for  the  .ship;  surrounded  with  a  bank  (rail  high)  of 
snow  and  ice  ;  and  in  every  direction  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  a  confused,  irregular  ice-lield, — would  have 
made  a  picture  seldom  seen." 

On  the  following  day  a  curious  but  not  unusual  point  in 
Arctic  history  occurred  among  tlu;  dogs,  of  which  the  expedi- 
tion had  a  good  supply.  One  of  a  team  which  was  out  to 
hunt  some  walruses  killed  the  day  previous,  deserted,  by  an 
escape  from  his  harness.  Tiie  other  dogs  attempted  to 
chase  him,  and  tlie  native  Alexai  (piickly  said:  "  15om 
bye  other  dogs  him  plenty  whii»."  Truly  enough,  for  after 
the  return  of  the  t<,'am.  Bingo  being  found  at  a  safe  distance, 


r»  I 


Tire    "  JEAN.VBTTE  "    TUAOEDV.  573 

1..U1  been  chewed  np  ,„  bajly  by  the  „,|,er.  ,!,„,  ,,»  die.I  i„ 

a  few  m.nule..     Tl,e  Arelie  dog  will  „„.  b,  „  , 

the  par,  ,.f  „  fell„w^„j  i„  ,,„,„°„  ""  >"»■  '-'«-  oa 

...e -igH  and  a.  .,„.  ..,a;:^:ti;' ^H  ,riti? 
Co.-  on,  „„d  .«,„  :r«n.;.n„r:?:;;r ::-:: 

r*  ;,"  ""^  '-  <""-''«.  »  tl,e  .lnp'«  fa„,e  inside,  Zf  ef 

;.™e  ;ta„?oi„t:'"'  '"  ""' ="  ''^"  -  "-  '-  -  '" 

*'  The  important  point  of  the  drift,"  .^vs  I  i,.„f   r. 

«.ca  of  ocean  at  tunes  gyrating  in  almost  perfect  circles   her 
course  an.l  the   observations  of   her  officers   provi   1, 
a..d  does  not  exist  in   that  area,  and  establLhin?,,  a  , 
ets  o    valne  as  regards   the  depth  and  characte:  of      e 
..cean    bed    and  its   temperatures,   anin.al    life,   etc.     It 
matter  of  hist  n"  re>ri.,.f  fi„,f  ,1.-,  *       .1  , 

of    Lieut     n  "'•'  "'""'"""•^  observations 

i^Kut.    (  i.,pp,  „„    aceon.plished    electrician,    especially 
"pon   the  d,s,urbances  of  the  galvanometer  dur,.    ^  3 

..s  «dl  as  the  meteorological  observations  of  Mr.  Collin. 
l-.shed  w.th  the  lamented  young  officers  in  the  wreck  of 
their  boat  on  the  Siberian  shore  " 

one  hundreda.Hl  ninety  miles  northwestof  Herald  Island.'" 

4o 


674 


THE    "JEANNETTE"    TUAGEDY. 


Tlie  total  drift  was  one  humlred  miles,  ciglity-two  miles  to 
N.  SS*^  \V.  The  average  temperature  liad  been  °18.46, 
lowest  -  °8.5,  the  iiighest  35°. 

The   hopes  of  release  for  the  ship  from  her   icy  cradle 
seemed  well  grounded  by  the   thermometer    reading  37°, 
with  a  fall   of  rain  on   tlio   first  day  of  June.     Fires  were 
discontinued  in  the  cabin   and  berth-deck,  and   the  record 
could  be  made  that  there  was  a  gradual   resuming  of  shiiv 
sliape  proportions  to  be  ready  for  a  start  northward  and  east- 
ward, or  northward   and  westward,  wliiciiever   the   ice  and 
the  wirds  would  permit.     The  decks  were  rapidly  clearing, 
and  De  Long  thought  he  was  surely  approaching  the  time 
wlien  nothing  would   remain  but  to  hang  tlie  rudder  and 
make  sail  for  some  satisfactory  result  of  tlie   cruise.     But 
from  the  first  day  of  the  month  to  the  longest  of  the  year, 
fogs,  snows,  and  gales    were    almost    the   daily  log  entry. 
The  drift,  contrary  to  nil  expectation,  had  been  generally  to 
the  southeast.     For  more  than   nine   months  the   ship  had 
been  driven  here  and  there  at  the  will  of  the  winds.     On 
the   30tii   her  position  \\'as  72°  19'  41"  N.,  178°  27'  30" 
E.,  fifty  milessouth,  9°  E.  of  her  place  on  the  first.     Siie 
was  heeling  4°  to  starboard  (3°  all  winter),  and  her  doubling 
on  that  side  was  about  four  inches  above  water.    From  tiie 
crow's  nest  it  could  be  seen  that  she  was  in  the  centre  of  an 
ice-island,  a  lane  of  water  in   some  places  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  wide,  surrounding  her  at  the  distance  of  about  a  mile. 
Much  effort  had  been  made   to   liberate   the  screw   without 
success.     Tlie  drift  on  that  day  was  only  one  mile. 

The  journal  of  July  8th,  makes  special  reference  to  the 
thickness  of  the  fioes  around  and  underneath  the  "Jean- 
nette."  It  recites  the  facts,  that  "in  September,  1879,  af- 
ter ramming  the  ship  through  forty  miles  of  leads,  she  was 
pushed  intou  crevice  between  two  heavy  floes  subsequently 
found  to  be  thirteen  feet  tliirk  ;  a  depth  caused  by  the  over- 
riding and  uniting  of  one  floe  with  another  by  regelation 


THE  "JEANNETTE 


TIlAGEDr. 


675 


under  pressure.     Wlien  sl.f.  «.n=  ^     i    i 

the  Noven.ber  fbllowi  / 1  :  .^''f  '    T  '"'  "^""  ''''''' 

four  feet  around  the  vc.  'lu!,  '  ""  "'  '^''"'^'"^^^  «' 
dered  impossible  ..rirr:;;;'^  ^7  T" 
-clays  a.er.,.  As  U.  lea.^ 'llJJ^lll^r;!^- 
Dc  Long  bol,(,v,.d  that  ho  wa,  h„„v„j  „„  ,„  „  „  '"""""«. 
tag  do,™  „„.I  „„Jer  the  keel.  "  £,  '  \^  °  ?"  ""»'"'• 
"  .l.«  one  of  .he,e  da,,  the  „„.,  t  ,     ,.  7:;  a  .^  r'^' 

proNc.      lie   fore.foot  was  irretrievably   wrenched      Th« 
B^>  must  s  „k  immediately  on  the  u  brL.ing  up^        ''' 
iJunng  the  remainder  of  the  mnnti,  ..f  t.  i  ,  , 

J     -'v"o"»''  inn,  iJe  Loiiff  writes •  «  nun  rri„»- 

mer  ispassing  away  ;  it  is  vuufJl  ,         ^  '  '"'"■ 

r^  C3  "  "v  »  "■  IS  p.iiniul  beyond  exnipstif^n   ♦„ 

round  the  ice  in  the  morning  and  see  J    ^T       '"  f 

".    'ti  *;  "' '"  ""•  ^"^  ^'"^  ^'--^-^  -d  the;  Ti 

Z  ,     T       ''  ""'  ^^''  ^"'"'ovable,  her  keel  and  fore 

foo   being  held  m  the  cradles.     After  sawing  under  til  fo  e 

sa!^:g:;:;r:'^::;:r''^:::r'-7-^".a'"^i^ 

existed    th.,t    f(.„  II  '"'"'"--'■«""<^C'Japi'iehension 


676        THE  "jeannette"  tragedt. 

'  Bofore  the  close  of  the  month,  tiie  idcn  of  open  water  vvna 
abaiuloned.  and  preparations  much!  i'or  u  second  wintor  in 
the  pael<.  AVIiat  gave  the  most  concern  and  anxiety  was  to 
make  it  possible  for  a  ready  abandonment  of  the  ship  in 
case  of  disaster.  As  long  as  enongli  of  the  vessel  should 
remain  for  shelter,  it  was  preferable  to  camping  on  the  ice  ; 
and  the  lamented  commander  could  already  "  conceive  no 
greater  forlorn  hope  than  to  attempt  to  reach  Sil)eria  over 
the  ice  with  a  winter's   cold   sapping   one's   life  at  every 

step." 

There  was  no  apprehension  of  lack  of  food,  several  more 
bears  having  been  secured.  With  tlie  exception  of  Lieut. 
Danenhower's  case,  and  that  of  the  temporary  sick- 
ness of  two  of  tlie  crew,  the  g.'neral  health  of  the  sliip's 
company  remained  good,  the  quick  restoration  of  tlie  sick 
showing  a  freedom  from  all  taint  of  scurvy.  Lieut.  Dan- 
enhower  had  been  under  severe  treatment  for  nine  months, 
but  for  his  eyes  only. 

Tlie   first  break  of  the  monotony  experienced  by  these 
men  during  the  second  winter  came  in  the  following  :May. 
On  the  KUh,   Ice-master   Dunbar  called  the  attention  of 
Lieut.  Cliipp    to    land,    clearly     enough    an     island— the 
first  to  greet  the  eye  since  March   24th,    1880,    fourteen 
months  before.  On  May  24tli,  the  pleasing  sight  of  land  was 
renewed.     On  the   31st  Engineer  Melville,  in  charge  of  a 
party  set  out  and  effected  a  landing  on  June  3d.  Tliey  took 
possession  of  it  for  the  Uniied  States  and  named   it   Henri- 
etta—the  name  of  a  sister  of  Mr.  Bennett.     The  first  island 
was  named  Jeannette.     De  Long  wrote  of  this  :     "  Thank 
G(jd,  we  have  at  last  landed  upon  a  newly-discovered  part 
of  this  earth,  .-^nd  a  perilous  journey  (Melville's)   has  been 
accomplished  without  disaster.     It  was  a  great  risk,  but  it 
has  resulted  in  some  advantage." 

These  discoveries  were,  however,  to  be  the  only  fruits  of 
the  long  weary  months  ;  sad  forecasts  of  u  ship  to  be  crushed 


THE  «  JKANNETTE  "  TKAGEDY.         677 

Within   the  coming  week.     On    the    Uth      e  i 

«ro..nd  her  wns  brtken  .low.  of  June,  the   ice 

tast-closing  loads  she  would  hivo  h«...,  i 

K...i..,.„. . .  .„„„  ,„,.,  :;;;■:-  rr^rpr::::; 

from  the  direct  crusliing  on  her  sides   I>nf   f.u        ^  "'^'*'''* 
^^".nerin,  and    thnm;ing    oP  ^ Jj^l^  ^/Zr 

AmK„,,ht,nafewn.oments'time,shewassetJ;    : 
«pl.t  ot  the  floe  on  a  line  with  her  keel,  and  suddenly  H-  lu 

-g,  started  all  hands  from  their  beds  to  the  deck.'  J  9 
A.  M.  the  ,ce  had  commenced  coming  i„  on  her  side  •  I 
heavy  floe. as  hauled  ahead  into  a  hole"  whe^:  tw  ;.: 
posed  the  ,ce  coming  together  would  impinge  on  itself  r 
stead  of  on  the  ship.  The  pressure  was  v^ry  he  tt  a ^d" 
gave  forth  a  hissing,  eranching  sound,  and  at  1.40  S.T  e 

When  the  order  was  given  for  all  hands  to  leave  the  shin 

",  the  .ron  work  around  the  smoke-stack  buckled  up  the 
met.  sheared  off.  and  the  smoke-stack  left  suppol^'o  l 
by  the  guys.  Thr.e  boats  were  lowered,  the  Srst  d  I 
-cond  eutter,  and  the  whale-boat ;  and  the  ship's  pa  y 
n^ade  the.r  camp  on  the  floe  in  six  tents,  but  within  an'^r 
were  compelhHl  to  move  still  further  from  its  ed^e  by  he 
breaking  up  of  the  floe  in  their  camp.  ^ 

Ihe.e  she  goes;  hurry  up  and  look,  the  last  sight  you 
W.I1  ave  of  the  old  >  Jeannette  • !  "  Wi-,ile  the  ice  iLl  IZ 
together   .t  had  held  her  broken  timbers.     When  it  ope     d 

w,„.    her   colors   flying   at   the  mast-head-she  sank  in 
t  n  ty-e-ght  fathoms  of  water,  stripping  her  yards  upwa 
as  she  passed  through  the  floe. 

Although  at  the  fearful  distance  of  three  hundred  and 
fcfty  m,l,.s  from  the  Siberian  coast,  with  the  prospect  of  the 
most  toilsome  of  n.arches  over  hummocks,  and  all  the  un 


678 


THE    "JEANNETTE"    TnAGEDY. 


certnintie3  of  a  landing  and  the  subsequent  journcjinga 
wliicli  must  be  made  of  over  fifteen  hundred  miles  to 
Yakoutsk,  or  six  thousand  five  hundred  to  St.  Tetersburg, 
oflicers  and  men  accepted  their  new  conditions  in  the  same 
spirit  of  fortitude  and  hope.  Their  dependenee  was  upon 
the  amount  of  provisions  and  clothing  saved,  their  boats, 
sleds,  teams,  and  their  own  energy.  Tiiey  had  nearly  five 
thousand  pounds  of  American  pemmican  in  canisters  of 
forty-five  pounds'  weight  each,  about  fifteen  hundred  pounds 
of  other  canned  provisions,  and  fifteen  hundred  pounds  of 
bread ;  with  a  full  supply  of  ammunition  for  game,  two 
dingys  beside  the  three  boats  named,  and  in  all,  nine  sleds. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  at  6  P.  M.  the  retreat  southward 
•was  commenced,  in  the  hope  that  with  God's  blessing,  tiiey 
mifht  be  enabled  to  reach  the  New  Siberian  Islands,  and 
from  thence  make  a  way  by  boats  for  the  coasts  of  Siberia. 
On  the  11th  of  July,  after  a  fearful  struggle  under  most 
adverse  circumstances,  they  came  in  sight  of  what  appeared 
to  them  as  land.  Seventeen  days  later  a  landing  was 
effected  on  this  land  and  whicli  proved  to  be  a  new  discov- 
ery. Tlie  island  was  so  steep  that  a  footing  was  liad  with 
mucli  difficulty,  yet  at  7  V.  M.  every  one  was  on  shore,  the 
silk  flag  unfurled,  and  possession  taken  in  the  name  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  The  island  was  named 
«  Bennett  Island  "  after  the  patron  of  the  expedition. 

The  sliip's  company  now  encamped  for  several  days, 
greatly  needing  rest  and  change  of  diet.  Explorations  of 
the  island  were  made  by  some  of  the  officers  and  notes 
,aken  touching  geological  formations,  tidal  observations,  etc. 
The  party  left  the  island  on  the  Gtli  of  August,  and 
thence  made  fair  progress  until  tlie  20th,  when  after  drift- 
in"  alontr  tlie  north  coast  of  Thadeoffsky  Island  (or  Tliad- 
d(Mis  Island),  they  were  imprisoned  nearly  ten  dnys,  after 
whicli  they  found  themselves  in  navigable  water,  and 
rounded  the  south  point  of  the  island. 


li 


I 


THK  "JKANNETTE"  TRAOEDT.  679 

The  sl.ip's  party  were  now  divided  ns  follows :  In  tlie 
first  cutter  were  Capt.  Do  Long,  Surgeon  Ambler,  Mr. 
Collins,  and  eleven  of  ti.o  crew,  including  Ali  Sam  the 
cook,  and  tho  Indian,  Alexai ;  in  the  second  cutter  were 
Lieut.  Cliii)p,  Ice-pilot  Dunbar,  rnd  six  of  tj.e  crew  • 
wl.ile  11,0  whale-boat  hold  Engineer  Melville,  commanding,' 
Lieut.  Danenhower  (invalid),  and  eight  of  the  crew,  in. 
eluding  tho  Chinese  steward,  and  tho  Indian.  Aneguin. 

On  the  10th,  tho  land  of  the  Asiatic  coast  liove  in  sight, 
estinnited  to  be  twenty  miles  westward;  and  on  tho  11th,  a 
landing  was  made  and  parties  sent  out  hunting.  An  old 
deserted  hut  was  found,  and  human  footprints  by  a  civilized 
boot.  Lieut.  Chipp  and  some  of  his  sailors  visited  Mel- 
ville's  camp,  and  reported  that  they  had  had  a  very  rough 
experience. 

On   tlie    12th  of  September,  the  three  boats  left  Semen- 
ovski  Island  on  which  the  piirty  hud  camped,  and  remained 
in  company  until  noon,  dining  together.     A  gale  was  com. 
mencing  from  the  nortiieast,  which  by  7  P.  M.  forced  all 
hands  in  the  whale-boat  to   pumping  or  bailing  out  water. 
Tho  course   was  south    southwest,   true.     Capt.  De  Long 
was  about  five    hundred   yards  from   Melville,  and  Chipp 
seven   hundred  from   De  Long.     The  gale  increasing,  both 
of  these  last  were  lost  sight  of  by  the  whale-boat ;  the  first 
cutter  destined  to  land  her  party  and  make  the  sad  experi- 
ence  of  their  intense  sutFering  to  death  by  cold  and   starva- 
tion  ;  the  second  cutter  to  leave  no  record,  but  the  blank  t.. 
be  filled  by  the  reasonable  supposition  of  her  havin"  been 
9wamf.ed  by  the  sea  ;  and  tlie  whale-boat  to  be  saved  only  by 
the  successful  use  of  a  drag  or  sea-anchor,  and  tlie  incessan't 
bailing  by  almost  exhausfe.i  men.     Engineer  Melville  was 
in  command,  but  relied  on  the  professional  ability  of  Lieut. 
Danenhower,  still  on  the  sick   list.     The  lieutenant  carrie.l 
tliQ    watch    and   chart,    and    could   shape   the    eoorse   of 
the  boat   by    the   bearings  of  the  sun  at   this  ecpiinoctial 


660 


TIIK    "JKANNKTTE"    TnAOEDT. 


period.  On  Sopteinltctr  l/itli.  oiio  of  tlio  t'listorn  montlis  of 
(he  Lena  wus  entered,  and  by  the  ussistunce  of  u  Tun;,'!!** 
pilot,  the  party  pushed  up  the  river,  and  on  the  JJtitli 
reueiied  a  hiuuU  vilUifje  in  whicli  lived  a  Siberian  exile, 
Kopelloff,  who  proved  very  useful  in  openinjj;  I  he  way  lo 
intereoursc  by  teaeliing  the  lieutenant  lluwsiau  [jhrases. 
They  were  detained  at  this  place  waiting  lor  the  growth 
of  tiie  ice  for  Mhidding,  and  while  another  Russian  exile, 
lloosmali  Cierrymahoff,  witii  the  ehief  of  the  village,  went 
forward  to  liulun  to  inform  tiio  Russian  autliorities  of  their 
arrival. 

On  the  2'.)th  these  two  messengers  returned,  bringing  the 
news    tlnit  on   tlieir  way  back   they  had  met  natives  with 
deer-sleds,  who  had   Nindemann  and  Noros,  of  De  Long's 
party,  eonducting  them   to   Hulun.     The  two  seamen  had 
written  a  note,  stathig  tiiat  the  captain's  party  were  starv- 
ing,  and  needed  immediate  assistance.     Koosmah  communi- 
cated   this   note   to   Engineer   Melville,  who  immediately 
started  with  n  native  and  dog  team,  to  lind  the  n\en,  learn 
the  position  of  tlie  captain's  party  and  carry  food  to  them. 
Danenhower  was  ordered  lo  tai^e  charge  of  tiie  party,  and 
get  them  to  Hulun  as  soon  as  possible.     November  1st,  the 
Bulun  commandant  brought  lo  liim  a  good  supply  of  bread, 
deer-meat,  and   tea,  and  a  document  addressed  by  Ninde- 
mann  and   Noros  to  the  American  Minister  at  St.  Peters- 
burg ;  this  the  lieutenant  forwarded  by  seaman  Hartlctt  to 
Melville  at  tiie  first  deer  station.     He  received  from  him 
orders  to  go  forward  to  Yukoutsk,  which  he  reached  De- 
cember 17lh,  1881,  having  traveled  by  deer-sled   nine  bun- 
dred  versts  (six  hundred  miles)  to  Verclmransk,  and  thence, 
by  means  of  deer,   oxen,   and  horses,  the  remaining  nine 
hundred  and  sixty  versts. 

The  fate  which  befid  De  Long's  boat  cannot  be  better 
described  than  through  the  language  of  the  captain's  brief 
journals  of  the  month  of  September,  1881.     "At  9  P.  M., 


r 


THE  "JEANNETTE"  TRAGEDY.  681 

September  12tb,  lost  sight  of  the  whale-boat  ahead ;  at  10  P 
M  losts.ghtof  second  cu.ter  astern;  wind  freshening  to  a 
gale.  Step  of  mast  carried  away  ;  low-.-red  sail  and  r^de  to 
sea  anchor  ;  very  heavy  sea,  and  hard  squalls.  Earomet  r 
^  .ng  rapully  13th,  very  heavy  nortl.east  gair:""" 
At  8  P  M.  set  a  jury  sail  made  of  a  sled  cover,  and  kept 
the  boa  away  to  the  westward  before  the  s  a;  17 
grounded  at  a  few  hundred  yards,  lan.ied  at  8  P.  M  •  dl  k 

1 .  M   had  landed  everything,  except  boat  oars,  n.ast   sled 
and  alcohol  breakers  ;  18th,  had  tires  going  all   he  tim     to 
dry  our  clothes,  we  must  look  our  situation  in  the  face  and 
prei,are  to  walk  to  a  settlement.  '     ^ 

"September  19th,  ordered  preparations  to  be  made  for 
eaving  tins  place,  and  as  a  beginning,  all  sleeping  ba-^s  are 

^::;.!:i;::::;is:f"^"^'™"-'^---^^ 


Landed  here  on  the  evening  of  the  17th,  and  will  pro. 
eed  tins  afternoon  to  try  and  reach,  with  God's  help,  alet 
tiement     the    nearest   of    which    I   believe   is   nine  yXe 
m.les  distant.     We  are  all  well,  have  four  days'  provi  ions 
arms  and  ammunition,  and  are  carrying  with  us  only  ship'^ 
ooks  and  papers,  with  blankets,  tents,  and  some  medicines 
herefore   our  cances  of  getting  through  seem  good.    T; 
2Ao  went  ahead,  and  at  4.30  stopped  and  camped.     Load 
^oo  heavy     men  used  up_Lee  groaning  and  Lmplai.     ! 
E.  .ckson,  Boyd,  and  Sam,^  hobbling.     Three  rests    f  fifteen 
nnnntes  eaci.  of  no  use.    Road  bad.     Breaking  through    h  n 

wi  h  ir:-"^"^-"  ^«  ^'-"  '^--  S-t  Ni^dema-rn  ba  k 
w.th  Alexa,  and  Dressier  to  deposit  log-books.  .  .  .  Every 
one  of  ns  seems  to  have  lost  all  feeling  i„  his  toes,  an  J 

week  in  the  boac  has  done  us  great  injury,  opened  our  last 


ll 


682 


THE    "JEANNETTE"    TRAGEDY. 


can  of  pemmican,  and  so  cut  it  that  it  must  suffice  for  four 
days'  food,  then  we  are  at  tlie  end  of  our  provisions  and 
must  eat  the  dog  (the  last  of  tiie  forty),  unless  Providence 
sends  something  in  our  way  .... 

"  Sept,  21,  at  3.30  came  to  a  bend  in  the  river  making 
south,  and  to  our  surprise  two  huts,  one  seemingly  new.  At 
9  P.  M.  a  knock  outside  tlie  hut  was  heard  and  Alexai 
said,  '  Capt.,  we  have  got  two  reindeer,'  and  in  he  came 
bearing  a  hind  quarter  of  i-cat. 

•'  Sept.  24,  commenced  preparations  for  departure  from 
the  hut  at  seven  o'clock.  ...  At  10  o'clock  P.  M.  made 
a  rougli  bed  of  a  few  logs  !  Wrapped  our  bhinkets  around  us 
and  sought  a  sleep  that  did  not  come ; — 27th,  made  tea  at 
daylight,  and  at  5.0;>  had  our  breakfast — four-fourteenths 
of  H  pound  of  pemmican.  ...  At  9.45  five  men  arrived 
in  camp,  bringing  a  fine  buck.     Saved  again! ! 

"  Sfptomber  30,  one  liundred  and  tenth  day  from  leaving 
tlie  ship,  Erickson  is  no  better,  and  it  is  a  foregone  conclu- 
sion tliat  he  must  lose  four  of  the  toes  of  his  right  foot,  and 
one  of  his  left." 

The  captain's  journal  then  gives  an  account  of  the  suf- 
ferings, death  and  burial  of  Erickson  in  the  river,  the  im- 
possibility of  digging  a  grave  in  the  frozen  ground  render- 
ing this  necessary. 

"  October  0,  sent  Nindemann  and  "Noros  ahead  for  relief; 
they  carry  their  bhinkets,  one  rifle,  forty  pounds  of  ammu- 
nition, two  ounces  of  alcohol.  .  .  .  Under  way  again  at 
10.30,  had  for  dinner  one  ounce  of  alcohol.  Alexai  shot 
three  ptarmigan.      Find  canoe,  lay  our  heads  on  it  and  go 

asleep. 

«'  10th,  eat  deer-skin  scraps.  .  .  .  Ahead  again  fill 
eleven.  At  three  halted,  used  up.  Crawled  into  a  hole  on 
the  bank.  Nothing  for  supper,  except  a  spoonful  of  gly- 
cerine.    17th,  Alexai  died,  covered  him  with   ensign,   and 


if*, 


THE    "JEANKEITE  "    TRAGEDr. 


683 

l«iJ  I,im  ;„  „  orib.     31„,  „„„  ,,„„,,    J 

K«„ck  <„«  found  Jcad  M  „W„i„|,t      t"„         I   .  "  ''"^' 

.!.«,„  around  ,l,o  corner  o«  of  !'  rf  "  ""  '  "'"'"'' 
U|..  Sunday,  October  23,  one  L,  ,"  "'Z  "'"  "'°"^'' 
-ver,b„d,  pre.,,  „e,.Ce„.  or^:  r'^d""".,'" ' 
n.a,.«ged  to  ge,  enougl,  „„od  ia'befored  k  1'7'  'J™ 
d,v,„e  service.     SutfeHn,  in  „„r  fee.     «:  f,..^.:    '"'"' 

A  :::?:ti' *'•  ^*'  -  '-*«<'  -^  ■^i-.i-r.b  da,. 

^  ••  Taesday,  Oo..  25,  one  hundred  and „.„f.b  d„,.  k„ 

.«;:'Y;:t:Y°ti:;r'''""^--''*^-n.,, 

»:!.::  SdX'L°;;?;;r^-  -"  • ->.....  -«.. 

;  f;'"'^''^'-  O^-t.  30.  one  hundred  and  fortieth  day      R.v  ^ 
and  Gortz  died  during  the  nig,.,.     Mr.  Coinls  ^^J'' 

'l^u,s  ends  Do  Long's  journal,   and   these  brief   extracts 

:i:Kiiir:n:ir;,:-rr^'- 

on^wtT'lr'^"™;'"'.''  """  ""'  "'■™''  V  Be  Long 


684 


THE    "JEANNETTE"    TRAGEDY. 


took  the  two  soamcn  and  fed  them.  These  natives,  on  learn- 
ing that  they  wished  to  be  carried  to  BuUin,  secured  a  num- 
ber  of  deer  and  carried  the  two  forward,  and  hmded  them 
at  that  phice  on  tlie  21)tii.  From  here  Noros  wrote,  at 
Nindemann's  dictation,  a  letter  to  the  American  Minister 
at  St.  Petersburg,  informing  liini  of  the  condition  of  De 
Long  and  liis  party.  And  it  was  licre,  on  Novembei  3d, 
tliat  Engineer  Melville  found  their,  and  obtained  all  the  de- 
tails from  the  time  they  liad  landed. 

Melville,  after  forwarding  the  necessary  telegrams  to  his 
government,  acquainting  it  of  tiie  disaster  to  De  Long's  party 
and  the  second  cutter  under  Lieut.  Chipp,  pushed  his  search 
to    the    northern    extremity  of  the  Lena  Delta.     Leaving 
Burnlak    November  5th,  with    two  ..og-teams,  two  natives, 
and  food  for  ten  days,  he  visited   some  of  the   huts  spoken 
of  by  Nindemann  aiul  Noros,  and  on  receiving  from     some 
native  hunters  the  records    left  by  Captain  Do    Long,  and, 
learning  from  these  where  the  log-books,  clironometers,  and 
other  abandoned  articles  liad  been  left,  subsequently  found 
the  cache,  marked  by  a  tall  fhig-stiiff,  on  theocean  shore,  and 
secured  them.      A  furtiier  diligent  ft'arch   of  three  weeks, 
made  witli  great  suffering  and  exposure,  revealcl,  however, 
nothing  of  the  missing  party  ;  nor  had  tlie  natives  heard  of 
them  at  any  of  their  settlements.     Nindemaiui  had  expressed 
his  conviction  that  all  must  liave  perished  ;  it  was  now  mat- 
ter  of  painful  but  irresistible  conclusions.       Melville  could 
hope  to  do  no    more    until  the  season  opened  and  until  full 
arrangements  could  be  made  for  the  necessary  supplies,  and 
for  the  orders  to  subordinates  whicli  should  be  issued  by  the 
Russian    authorities.     This    could    not    be  accomplished  at 
Bulun,  so    he   went   forward    to   Yakoutsk,  arriving  there 
December  30th. 

January  10th,  1882,  he  sent  forward  the  logs  and  papers 
in  charge  of  Lieut.  Danenhower,  who  had  been  ordered  by 
the  Department  to  return  to  the  United  States,  and  pushed 


THE    "JEANNETTE"    TUAGEDY. 


635 


hi3  pi-ppanitions  f„r  tl.e  renewed  search  under  tlie  orders 
from  tlio  Depart nient  received  nt  the  same  time. 

March   lOih,  accompanied  by   seamen    Nindemann  and 
Barth-ft,  the  latter  of  whom  had  piciied  up  some  Russian,  he 
fo.n.d  the  hut  where  De  Long  and  his  comra.les  had  slept 
before  crossing  the  river  ;  and  on  the   gSrd   found    not   the 
living  but  the  dead   ten.     Four  poles  hished  together  and 
projecting    out    two  feet  from   the  snow  drift,   pointed  to 
their  resting-phice.     The  muzzle  of  a  Remington  riHe  also 
stood  above  the  snow  bank  eight  inches,  its  strap  hitched 
over  the  poles.     A  few  hundred  yards   further   were    the 
three   bodies  of  Captain   De   Long,  Surgeon   Ambler,  and 
Ah  Sam,  the  Chinese  cook.     Along  side  of  De  Long   was 
his  note-book  with  the  last  feebly  written  lines  which  have 
been  cited;  under  the   poles   were  the  books   and  records 
which  the  conscientious  care  of    the   commander  had  too 
heavily    loaded    himself    and    party.     Alexai's    body    was 
searched  for  in  vain  ;  De   Long's  journal  showed  that  he 
died  in  the  fiatboat.     It  is  probable  that  the  remains  of  the 
native  were  borne  by  the  flood  into  the  Lena. 

Melville  had  all  the  bodies  carried  over  the  mountain  o 
the  southward  of  Mat-vai,  where,  on  a  high  bluff,  a  tomb 
had  been  prepared,  and  a  box  to  hold  the  bodies.  They 
were  arranged  side  by  side,  De  Long,  Ambler,  Collins,  and 
tiie  others  in  regular  rotation,  as  their  names  were  cut  on  a 
vertical  portion  of  a  cross  i.laccd  over  the  toml). 

Melville's  party,  having  completed  the  burial  of  the  bod- 
ies, then  entered  upon  the  search  for  the  second  cutter,  uu- 
der  command  of  Lieutenant  Cliipp.  Nindemann  and  IJart- 
lett  were  sent  to  Cape  IJarkin.  from  wliich  point  one  of 
tliem  examined  the  sea-coast  of  the  Delta  southward  as  far 
as  Jamavaeloch,  working  also  into  tiie  mouths  of  the  riv- 
ers  ;  the  other  followed  the  north  coast  of  Siberia  to  the 
river  Osoktok,  along  which  De  Long  and  his  party  caiue. 
Their  orders  were  executed  in  the  most  thorougli   mamicr, 


■M' 


I 


686' 


THE   "JEANNETTE"    TRAGEDY. 


but  no  trace  of  the  second  cutter  was  found.  The  first  cut- 
ter was  found  wliere  she  liad  been  abandoned  in  the  ice  of 
the  ocean,  filled  witli  water,  frozen  in,  and  badly  stove. 

Melville  searched  tlie  coast  line  west  to  (he  deserted  vil- 
lage of  Chancer,  thence  across  tlie  peninsula,  down  the 
river  Alanack  to  the  ocean  ;  along  the  coast,  in  and  out  of 
all  the  bays  to  the  northwest  point  of  the  Delta,  and  thence 
along  the  north  coast;  comideting  the  coast-wise  search  for 
the  second  cutter,  by  a  still  further  search  to  the  river  Jana. 
He  reached  finally,  after  some  detention  on  the  mountains 
by  the  melting  of  the  snows,  the  town  of  Yakoutsk  on  June 
8th.  From  here  Melville  began  his  home  journey  with 
Ninderti  itui  and  Noros,  arriving  in  New  York,  September 
13th,  18H2. 

The  Navy  Department  on  receiving  the  first  report  of 
the  disaster,  had  sent  forward  two  oflicers,  Lieuts.  Har- 
bor and  Sehutze,  witli  instructions  to  search  diligently  for 
the  parties  lost,  and  to  bring  home  the  bodies  of  those  that 
had  perisiied.  It  is  unnecessary  to  er,ter  into  the  full  de- 
tails of  the  work  done  by  thetd  officers  during  their  journey 
on  this  work  of  mercy.  Sufficient  it  is  to  record  the  fact 
that  they  eventually  returned  home  bringing  with  them  the 
remains  of  Commander  Do  Long,  and  the  ten  men  who 
died  with  him  at  the  mouth  of  the  Lena  in  1881. 

The  Bulletin  de  la  Societe  de  Geogruphie,  of  1st  Trimes- 
tre,  1883,  ill  reviewing  the  voyage  of  the  "  Jeannef te," 
closes  thus:  "  Honor  to  De  Long,  wlio  always  knew  how 
to  exercise  the  fullest  qualities  of  courage  and  command  ! 
Honor  to  all  his  comrades,  officers,  and  sailors,  whose  spirit 
of  disci|)line  and  sacrifice  is  a  glory  to  the  navy  which 
counts  such  men  within  its  ranks." 


o 


c 


w 


in 


O  ' 

X  r 


f;,1 
1* 


r. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 


NKAU    rO.NT    lUH,  OW,    ArASKA       ""'^^f '''' •"^-''".  -N>' A T    OOOI.AM.E. 
T..K  ..,U,r  KHANKUN  BAV  ™7;,^^^^^^  """^^V,  IN  CHA„„E  OK 

THE  STATION.-KORT  CONOBH  -      1^1  ^""^   ""    "*>    •'0"'«NKV  TO 

TEM,u:uI8«.T-bkt„"L;o;  :^;-*^.^^';0'yENT«.  THE    STATION.    SEP- 
ICE.-I,R,FTIN0I1F    ™,v       ...  SOlJTIIWAUn.-nKSET    IN    THE 

-«KAoi„N„'^™o™;r-TrNTrc  "'"'•'  "'^*^'  '''''«■ 

1883.4.-KE,n-,EI,     lUTIONs!^,,,,,,    .r         *^' *''^'-"«  ^^  CAMP  CLAY, 
SrPPLIFS.-TintlUniF  8    ™v  '''''"''''''     '-'*    ^'*"-'^«    'TO    FIND 

OP    THE    PAUTV  -I^sc,  ^OK  T.?'  'r  "-«VAT,ON.-nK,,„  OK  MANT 
.T  .  T,M.  WHEN  JpS  H^.^'rErSr^V^rrr  ^^'"'^^ 

In  September,  1875,   the  late  Carl  Wevprecl.t,  one   of 

re  .aliofl^^     author   of    its   narrative   «,„l   discoverer  of 
I  an.  Jose   Land,  first  proposed  tl.at  .he  nations  of   til 
Horld  should  unite  in  one  uniform   system   of  simultaneous 
magnetic  and  meteorological  observafions,  at  as  n      l  I 
^ons  as  possible,  in  both   .he  Arctic  and  An.arc.ic  ./gi:    . 
The  re..l,s  to  be  secured  in  these  zones  .onld  be  ..mpara 
be  >vuh.  and  u.ili.ed  in  connec.ion  .i.h  those  derived  f  on 
observafons  in  the  temperate  zones,  and  vould  largelv  ad- 
vancethed.miimi  of  the  sciences. 

The  details  of  the  plan,  ehiborated  in  1879,  1880  and 
IHHl,  resulted  ,n  the  establishment  of  an  Oflicial  Polar 
Co.nn„ssK.n,  all  .he  members  of  vMdch  ^vere  clothed  with 
""M'onty  by  .heir  respective  governments.  Under  their 
n-.sp.ces  tiie  s.a.ions  .o  be  established  were  named,  and 
tlie  countries  designated  to  supply  the  observers.      Of  these 

687 


688 


r.nv.ifr.v'f*  iiF.noic  aciuevemknt. 


the  Unilotl  StiMta  >UT0  dcsignnted  to  establish  the  foUow- 
ing:  At  Liuly  FrnnkUn  Hivy,  UrinneU  I  m\,  mid  ut 
Oojj;h\iiiii',  iH'iir  Point  Uiirrow,  Ahiska. 

TIk!  station  at  Fort  Conger,  in  Lady  Franklin  15ay,  was 
estaldisliril  inid-r  a  special  act  of  Congress,  which  appro- 
priutc'd  the  sum  of  $-2.'),n(iO  lor  the  purpose.  IJy  direction 
of  the  Secretary  of  "War,  First  I-ient.  A.  W.  Greely,  l",  S. 
A.,  in  .Tune,  18H1.  was  charged  with  the  duty  of  cstahlisliing 
a  penmnipiit  station  at  tlie  most  suitable  point  nortli  of  tho 
eighty-first  pareilel  and  contiguous  to  tho  coal  seam  dis- 
covered near  Lady  Fnudxiin  Uay  by  tlio  English  expedi- 
tion of  1875.     The  coal  vein  was  expected  to  alVord  suir.- 

cient  fuel. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Congress  that  this  station   should 
be  maintained  for  three  years  at  least,  for  according  to  the 
report  of    Hon.    Mr.  Whitthonie   from   the   Committee  of 
Naval  AiVairs,    House    of    llepresentatives,    recommending 
tiio  appropriation,  an  annual  visit  should  be  niado   Lo  the 
station  to  carry  fresli  food  and  supplies,  and,  if  necessary, 
to  bring  back  invalitl  rii'mbers  of  tiie  expedition  and  carry 
out  fresh  observers  to  take  tiieir  places.     Tiie   party  under 
Lieut.  Greely  consisted    of  Lieuts.  F.   F.  Kislinghnry  and 
James  B.  Lockwood,  and  Dr.   O.    I'avy,  acting  assistant 
surgeon  and  naturalist,  witli   a  force  of   sergeants,  corpo- 
rals and  privates  of  the    United    States  Army,  nnmbering 
eighteen.     The  Lieutenant  received  his  instructions  from  the 
Cidef  Signal  Otticer,  who  embodied  in  them  spccitic    direc- 
tions for  tlie  different  brandies  of  tlie   work   to    be    accom- 
plished, siipidemented  by    special    instructions   from    "  Tlio 
Coast  and   Geodetic    Survey."    with  a  translation  of  those 
adopted  by  the  International  Polar  Conference  of  1H79. 

Leaving  St.  John's,  Newfoinidhind,  on  the  steamer  "Pro- 
teus," July  7lh,  Lietit.  Greely  reached  Godhaven  on  the 
Kith,  the  voyage  being  made  in  the  face  of  contimionsly 
adverse  winds,   two  strong  northerly    gales    and    constant 


o«EKr,v's  MKno.c  acii.kvemknt.  r.89 

' "'•""  ""•"'mm  (l„.  morni,,..  „f  ,|„,  „.,     ., 

>«i.l'i'..k,  ru„„i,„.  „,,„,,  ,"T  .'"'""""■        !•■■ Kit. 

..»"k  l'.:t::;:,;;V';:'\r"';  "■•■ ""'"°™-  -^  ^^.'p- 
•.™«-..y,ti,„ , J  ,.,  ,n  :„";■'""  ™"  "■••  ""• '"- 

i.l»ml  ,„  ,|H-  w,,t      I    ,  °  ""'"•  J'""  ""  '!'» 

".M.,,,.  ,„„.::::;, ,::;:  :;;:;„":";tv  "",  '■",;"- "" 
"■>  only  si,  .nr:;;;,: "  *  •^^'r-  f-' -^ ... 

tlie    Enjrlish   (.xpc"(liii„n   of  ISTT  (5   fr„„,    tt      ^ '"'"'"  "^^ 
soventy-fiv,M«ilJ  south  of  Ou'vl  ^    ^ ''P-^-'-ik    to 

"nffin  |{ny  ;  bnt  in  al)ont  7r.o  ig/  ]v.,  f.go  .^^  ,.,     „        , 

Lifflcfon  M.ind  w.-.s  ,vn,.Ii..,I,  A.,-...f  2ik1   TT,>r. 

a...!  exhaustive  search  ,.f  seven  I    ,  '"''''""•■'' 

,.t  SIX  en  hours  was  n..]uir(.,l   to  find 


f,90  OUEF.I-Y'9    IIKIIOIC    ACIIIKVKMKNT. 

tlio  KiiRlisli  maila,  wliicli,  in  four  l)oxr«  aii<l   thrffi   Vfgn, 

vv.vi!  ro"wiiril«'<l  iiionl.T  that  tlicy  might  l.u  n-tur I  to  Knu- 

hiiul.  Th<;n)  WHS  u  very  Miiall  raiin  m-ur  tho  niuilH,  but 
with  no  rt'cord.  A  nconl  eiidonuro  was  M'l  lieie,  and 
Lieut.  Loikwood  Willi  a  party  laii.lfd  ahout  six  and  a  half 
tons  of  roal,  as  u  d.'i)ot  of  fuel  for  possil.h)  futuro  use.  Th." 
island  was  carefully  Hoarehed  and  some  discoveries  of  reconU 
previously  left  by  others  were  made. 

Some  repairs  to  the  wheel  of  the  Mnp  caused   several 
hours'  delay  ;  hut  Littleton  Island  was  left  at  10.45  P.  1\I, 
Tho  weutiier  being  very  fair,  ami  no  ice  visible,  the  captain 
was  dirfscted  to  run  direct  for  Cape  Hawks.     August  .S. 
Cape  Subino  was  passed  at  l.-W  A.  M.,  and  Cape  Camper- 
down  at  4.10  A.  M.     At  H.30  A.  M.,  the  "  Proteus  "   was 
otr  Cape  Hawks,  and  at  D.IO  A.  ^I.,  lay  to  about  two  miles 
north  of  it,  between  the  mainland  and  Washington  Irvinj? 
Island.    Lieuts.  Greeley  ami  Kialingbury  landed  on  thenmin 
shore,  and  exan>ined  the  English  depot  of  1875.     Washing- 
ton Land  was  first  sighted  at  3.r)5  P.  M.,  through  openings 
in  the  fog  which  commenced  setting  in.     About  6   P.  M., 
the  HOth"  parallel   was  crossed,  and  at   o.l'.O  tlie  ship  was 
abrea>t  of  Cape  CoUinson,  where  two  hnielred   and   forty 
rations  were  .-ached.     They  were  not  visited,  through  fear 
that  denser  fogs  would  set  in  and  seriously  delay  the  north- 
ward passage.     At  10  P.  U.,  after  running  slowly  through 
n  dense  fog.  it  became  n.-cessary  to  stop  until  the  next  <lay 
(Au-nst  4th),  when  the  fog  cleared  at  11.15  A.  M.    Frank- 
lin  Sound  was  sighted   about  eight  miles  northeast,  true  ;  it 
was  passed  at    11.45  A.  M.     At  2   P.  M.,  the  ship  stopped 
i„  ,be  northeast  end  of  (^arl    Rittcr  Bay,  where  about  two 
,,„„.,,,,1    a„.l    tvventy.five    bread    and    n.eat    rations  were 
landed,  for  use  in  case  of  n  retreat  smith  in  1H83. 

About  7.45  P.  M.,  off  Cape  Licber,  a  heavy  pack  against 
the  land  was  passed  by  a  detour  to  the  eastward,  nnd  J.t  It 
P   M  ,  Au-nst  4th,  the  vessel  was  stopped  for  the  first  time 


OnF.K,,VH    „R„o,0    AC.KVEMRNT.  C91 

hy  Ice.  in   the  extr^-me  i.outho««t  part  of  r  „,i.  r      , ,. 
H..y.  only  HKl.t   ,„il,.H   n-om  d^Mimu  ,        T,    ^   V""'^ '" 

fro.,,  twenty  ,.,  fifty  feet  in  fl.inlcnl  '"'  ""'^'''^ 

do  aught  but  .ait.     The  vll  ts    LlTo't?'"''^^  I? 

Capo  Haini.  and  awaire.l  a  gale  '  ''"''"^  "'^ 

August  5f I,  G,.,,ly  went  asI.or«  at  Capo  Lieber    ^vith 

o;::;:::„";:r  "t^'  '■''''^■•' '-  '"^^  ■"'-  i^« "  <  w" 
-irivc,  .„„,i,„,r,,,  p„„k,,,,  f,.;,„„,,,:;t„ , :,  r"""""^ 

pn.*  I«„ri,.r,  str...,l,i„.,  fr„,„  ("„;,■„'     "  '"'S°  °°"'- 


692 


greely's  iiEnoic  achievement. 


About  noon  of  the  10th  the  long-desired  southvest  giile 
set  ill,  aeeonipaiiied   by  snow,  sttirting  the  puck  noithwsiid. 
The  snow  cleared  the  next  nioining,  but  the  gale  fortunate- 
ly continued,  and  open  water  was  visible  on  the  west  coast 
as  far  northward  as  could   be  seen.     At   7.30  A.  M.,  the 
sliip  rapidly  ran  northward,  and  about  1  V.  M.,  again  passed 
Cape  Lieber,  and  at  2.40  P.  M.,  had  crossed  Lady  Frank- 
lin Bay.     Either  ice-foot  or  pack-ice  jammed  against  the 
shore    covered  'NVatercourse   Bay,  but  a  narrow  lane   per- 
mitted  the  vessel   to  enter  Discovery  Harbor  just   inside 
Dutcli  Island,  wiiere  harbor  ice  about  eighteen  inches  thick 
was  found,  covering  the  whole  harbor  as  well  as  the  western 
half  of  Lady  Fiankliu  Bay.     The  vessel  forced  her  way 
about  one-fourth  of  a  mile   through  ice   of  tlie  character 
named  above,  and  there  stopped,  pending  a  decision  as  to 
tlie  locality  of  the  station.     Lieut.  Lockwood,  sent  to  exam- 
ine t!ie  bay,  reported  tlie  place  an  excellent  one  for  camp, 
the  bay  partly  clear,  l)nt  shallow.    Lieut.  Greel"  reliu-tantly 
decided  to  settle  at  Discovery  winter  quarters  i  ami  it  was 
a  fortunate  decision,  for  "Watercourse  Bay  was  full  of  pack- 
ice. 

On  tlie  12tli  the  vessel  broke  her  way  through  two  mil-'S 
of  heavy  ice,  and  anchored  off  the  cairn  about  one  huiKlre<l 
yards  from  shore  ;  the  men  were  divided  into  two  gangs,  to 
work  day  and  night  by  four  hour  reliefs,  until  tlie  general 
cargo  was  discliarged,  which  was  done  in  sixty  hours.  Coal 
was  landed,  ofT.hieh  there  was  about  one  Inmdred  and  forty 
tons,  enough  to  last  two  winters  without  mining  any.  A 
house  was  constructed  and  (|nnrters  necessary  for  the  stii- 
tioii.  Tiie  post  was  named  Fort  Conger,  in  honor  of  Sena- 
tor Conger-  of  IMichigan. 

It  is  i)roper  to  state,  as  reported  by  Lieut.  Greely,  that  a 
retreat  from  here  southward  to  Cape  Sabine,  in  case  no  ves- 
sel should  reach  them  in  18H2-3,  would  be  safe  and  pvae- 
,ticab!e;  although  all  but  the  most  important  records  would 


GKEELY'8    HEROIC    ACHIEVEMENT.  693 

necessarily    luue    to   be   abandoned ;  abstracts   could   and 
would  bo  niiide  of  those  left. 

In  the  Krports  of  the  Signal  Officer  for  1881-82   it  is 
Btatec'  tin.,  ><  the  station  has  supplies  for  two  years  ;  ti'.at  It 
was  onte.npUited  to  be  visited  in  1882  and  1883,  by  a  s.ul 
Btcamer  or  other  vessel,  bearing  such  supplies  and  additions 
to  the  party  as  might  be  deen.ed  needful ;  and  that  in  ,.ase 
such  vessel  is  unable  to  reach  Lady  Franklin  JJay  in  1882 
she  will  cache  a  portion  of  her  supplies  and  all  of  her  letters 
ami  despatches  at  tbe  most  northerly  point  she  attains  on 
tf.e  east  coasf.  of  Grinndl  Land,  and  establish  a  sn.all  depot 
of  supphes  at  Littleton  Island.     Notices  of  the  loc-ality  of 
such  d.^,ots  will  be  left  at  one  or  all  of  the  following,  plies 
v.z:     Cape  Hawks,  Cape  Sabine,  and  Cape  IsabdlL     Z 
case  r.o  vessel   reaches  the  permanent  station  in  188'>    the 
vessel  sent  in  1883  will  remain  in  Smith's  Sound  un-uThere 

her  supphes  and  apart,;  at  Littleton  Island,  which  party  will 
be  prepared  for  a  winter's  stay,  and  will  be  instructed  to 
send  sledge  parties  up  tl>e  east  side  of  Grinnell  Land  to  meet 
th.s  party.  If  not  visit.-<l  in  1882,  Lieutenant  Greely  will 
abandon  h.s  station  not  later  than  Septemb.-r  1,  1883,  and 
w.ll   .e.r,.,t  southwanl  by   boat,   following  dosely  the  east 

coa^t  0     Grinnell  Land,  until  the  relieving  vesseMs  met  ol 

l-ittleion  Island  is  reached." 

Two  expediti.ms  were  sent  out   to  the   relief  of  Lieut. 

Ore.  y  and  Ins  party,  while  they  were  statione.l  on  Lady 

1  ranklm  Bay ;  one  in  1882  and  the  other  in  1883,  but  both 

proved  failures. 

July,  1883,   having  arrived  and  still  no  relief  reacbin- 
I'.m,  L.eut.   Greely  with    bis  party  abandoned  tbe   station 
and  retreated  southward.     Of  their  sojourn  at  Fort  Con-n-r 
on  Lady   Fra.iklin  Ray,  during  these  three  years,  and  thei,' 
retreat,  Lieut.  Greely,  in  his  report  to  the  Chief  Signal  OfH- 


694  greely'8  heroic  achievement. 

cer,  giving  full  details  of  the  explorations  made  from  time 
to  time  while  so  stationed,  says  : 

"  On  July  20th  the  abandonment  of  the  station  was  an- 
nounced  in  orders,  to  take  place  on  August  8th,  or  as  soon 
tliereafter  as  practicable. 

"  Sergeant  Brainard  was  directed  to  make  an  inventory 

of  the  stores  on  hand  which  were  to  be  abandoned 

"  It  was  with  great  reluctance  that  I  decided  on  the 
abandonment  alive  of  our  dogs.  In  case  we  were  nnsuc 
cessful  in  our  boat  journey,  as  had  been  Hayes,  and  Kane 
(in  his  first  trip),  and  returned  to  Conger,  these  patient, 
willing  laborers  would  be  indispensable  to  obtain  fuel  and 
meat."  Several  barrels  of  pork  were  unhcaded  and  all  the 
barrels  of  oil  opened,  so  that  a  couple  of  months' food  could 
be  reached  with  some  difficulty. 

"  The  ice  broke  up  gradually  during  the  month  ;  the  up- 
per part  of  Kennedy  Channel  broke  on  the  24tl..  The 
harbor-ice  may  be  said  to  have  broken  up  on  July  30. 

"  Tlio  month  ended  in  southerly  gales,  which  did  much 
to  break  up  the  harbor-ice  in  Hall  Basin  and  Robeson 
Channel.  Unfortunately  the  ice  in  Archer  Fiord  remained 
fast,  and  no  possible  chance  of  crossing  it  appeared.  Ev- 
ery  preparation,  however,  had  been  made  for  the  abandon- 
ment  of  the  station  at  the  earliest  .  ^aent.  With  this 
view,  five  thousand  pounds  of  carefully  screened  and  selected 
coal  had  been  bagged  and  cached  on  Dutch  Island,  for  use 
in  tlie  launch  during  the  retreat." 

On  the  first  of  August,  a  selected  party  was  told  off,  with 
orders  to  be  in  readiness  for  prompt  departure  for  Cape 
Baird,  as  it  was  intended  to  send  to  that  point  at  tlie  earli- 
est  practicable  moment  tlie  launch,  loaded  with  coal,  provis- 
ions,  and  all  the  most  important  collections  and  records, 
leaving  the  main  party  to  follow,  when  everything  import- 
ant  Imd  been  transferred.  Lieut.  Greely  says :  "  The 
condition  of  the  party  for  the  coming  retreat  was  of  general 


OUEELY'S    HEKOIC    ACHIEVEMENT. 


095 


health  an.l  strcM.gtI.,  despite  their  arduous  labors  for  two 
yoars    anud  unequaled  cold  and  dariuu.s.     Of  the  seven 
hundred  and  twenty-one   days  spent  at  Fort  Conger,  two 
hundred  and  s.xty-eight  had  been   marked  by  the  total  ab- 
sence  of  the  sun.     On  two  hundred  and  sixty-two  days  one 
or  more  sledge  part.es  had  been  absent  in  tbe  fiel.l,  on  jour, 
neys  enta.lu.g  from  two   to  sixty    d..ys'  absence,  and   some 
three  thousand  m.les  had  been  traveled  by  such  parties  ;  an 
unequaled  latitude  to  the  north  had  been  attained  ;  to  Green- 
land  over  a  hundred  miles  of  new  coast   had  been  added- 
and  to   the  westward  Grinnell  Land  ha.l  been  crossed,  its' 
extenor  surveyed,  its  physical  g.-ography   determined,  and 
the  contours  of  Us  northern   half  fixed  with  considerable 
certainty." 

The  ice  was  closely  watched  from  the  first  of  the  month 
but  .,  to  the  morning  of  the  9th  no  possible  chance  of 
crossing  Archer  Fiord  presented  itself.  About  10  o'clock 
A.  M.  the  ,ce  on  Archer  Frord,  fhougl,  not  navigable,  from 
.ts  movements  appeared  to  presag,-  more  favorable  eon.li- 
t.ons,  and,  in  order  to  avail  hin>seltof  any  possible  ehanc.,,,, 
tlie  station  was  ordered  to  be  abandoned  at  1  P.  M.  of  tint 
date.  The  launch  left  Dntch  Island  at  2.;iO  P.  M.  and  r.'n 
to  Proteus  Point,  meeting  the  sn.all  boat  from  the  station 
which  brought  dinner  for  the  party. 

On  the   morning  of  the    lOti.   they    reached  Cape  Haird. 

On  leaving  here  they  had  fifty-five  hundred  pounds  of  coal 

and  about  fifty  days  of  provisions,  witli  small  caches  at  Carl 

K.tter  Bay  and   Cape  Collinson,  wl,ici.    were  relied   on    to 

carry  tiiem  to  Dobbin  Bay,  where  Greely  at  least  counted 

on  a  vessel.      Carl  Riiter  Ray  was  reached  about  the   18th 

whence  the  shore  was  closely    fnllow.-d.  until  Gieelv   found 

•  t  prudent  to  pass    further  from   shore  to  avoid  youn.r   i,.,. 

which  might  form  to  such  an  extent  inshore  as  to  mali..    it 

'iu|  ossible   to  ever  extricate  the  launch. 

On    tiie    18th   the  condition  of   the  party   was  critical. 


,'iAlM. 


696 


gkekly'3  iieuoic  achievement. 


Lieut.     Grecly,    after    tlescribing    tlie     condition   of     the 
teni[)i;raturo   iiml  the  tempest iions   weatlier,  says:       ''We 
met  much  moving  ice,  but  had  a  tine  run   until  about   4  A. 
M.  of  the  IDUi,  when,  stopped   by  a   dense,  lieavy    pack,  a 
secure  harbor  was  foiuid  between  two  grounded  bergs.     At 
tiiat  point  the  tides  were  very  lieavy,  evidently  from  twelve 
to  iifteen  feet  in  tlie  springs.     We  were  then   about  eleven 
miles  nortlieast  of  Cape  Lawrence,  and,  an  opportunity  of- 
fering at  the  turn  of  the    tide,  about    three-quarters    of  an 
hour's  run  amis  made  without  much  advantage;  and  to  avoid 
wasting  coai,  ihere  beiug  much  ice,  we  stopped  seven  miles 
north  of  Cape  Lawrence  to  await   more   favorable   condi- 
tions."     The  account  of  their  progrcfis   from    this  (loint  to 
Capo  Hawks  is  simply  a  repetition  of  startling  adventures 
and  -rcj-t  physical  trials.     Here   they   found  the  cache  of 
stores,  placed  by  i..eni  two  years  before,  but  much  of  these 
unfit  for  use.      The  report  of  Lieut.  C.'-eely  best  describes 
the   situation  of  bis  \Muty  on  arriving  at  Cape  Hawks.    Ho 
says :     "  I   cannot  but   feel  that  we   are  now  in  a  critical 
Biiuation,  not  knowing  what  can    be  depended  on.     Since 
-o  vessel  reached  this  point  in  lS82-'83  (to   this  time)  we 
must  all  feel  an  uncertainty  as  to  the   pariy   for   our  relief 
being  at  Life  Boat  Cove.     The  ice  to  the  southward,  a^  far 
as  the  "ye  could  reach  from  the  s\iinmit  of  Washington  Lv- 
ing   Island,   is  now  in  such  a  state  that  any  well   provided 
v<rspel  could  easily  run  through  it.     If  no  party  is   at  Life 
Boat  Cove,  our  situation    is   exceedingly  dangerous.     We 
have,  perlia!)s,  sixty  days'  provisions,  except  sugar,  i'ud  be- 
yond tl;at  we  must  depend  upon  tlic  resources  of  the   conn- 
try,  which  are  of  the  most  precarious  character.    However, 
we  shall  do  as  we  have  done,  our  utmost,  and  by  some  pos- 
sible  chance  we  may  reach  Cary  Islamls." 

The  party  liad,  miaid.'d,  successfully  nmd(>  tlu'ir  way  for 
over  two  huudred  miles  of  latitud.'  (inv(dving  over  KM) 
miles  of  travel),  despite  u  remarkably   early   autumn,   and 


GKERLY'S   IIKROIC    ACHIEVEMENT.  .697 

tlTough  ice  Of  such  churac.cT  as  must  bo  seen  for  a  just  an- 
P-ecufou  ot  the  dange,.  an.l  diflieuhies  .onnectnl  with  L 
successful  navigation.     Greely  says  :    '■  Scarcely  fifty  n.iles 
sou  h  of  us  were  the  cliffs  of  Cape  Sahine.    wl.ich    h.oked 
Houthwanl  ,0   ,he  open  North   Water,  an.l   ,h„ugh  uucon- 
sc.>us  that  five  weei<s  before  the  Proteus  Iwul  .unk  i„  the  sea 
before    us,  cur   minds   were  filled   with   apprehensions  and 
.  forebodn.gs    as    to   the    future.     The    condition   of    atfUirs 
seemed  alarn.ing;  it  was  evident  that  no  relief  vessel  could 
be  dep,.ndcd   upon  ;   the    temperature,  whieh   had  been  fbr 
some  time  below  the  freezing  point,  then  stood  about   25  = 
and  the  appearance  of  the  young  ice  foreboded  trouble.  We' 
had  reachcl  a  latitu.le  where  the  sun  now  set,  and  the  dear 
sky  .ndicatcl  a  decided  fall  in  temperature  the  con.ingni.ht. 
Ihe   aunch  was  off  Alhnan  15ay,  the  surface  of  which  Ton- 
8>sted  of  water  substantially  fresh,  derived  from  John  Kvans' 
glacier.     O.dy  four  days  later  in  1870,  with  a  sin.ih.r  tem- 
perature, newly  f,„,,ie,l    iee    had    been   found    in    this    bay 
by  Sir  George  Nares,  fVon,  one  to  three  iiu-hes  in  .i,ickness. 
1  .rough  tin-s  ice  th,.  Discovery  had  forced  i,s  wav  only  with 
dilhculty,  and  its  passag..  by  a  small  launch  would  l,e  mani- 
festly    nnpossible.      IJut    f,,,,,.  hundred    pounds  of  coal  ve- 
mained  for  steaming  piu'[)oses. 

"In  eonse,,ueuc..  .,f  these  conditions  it  seen.ed  imperative 
for  me  to  keep  off  the  coast  and  endeavor  to  reach  by  a 
d.recteot„-seVi.t<,.v«  Head,  only  about  18  mih-s,  or  four 
l.our  s  run.  distant.  I„  order  to  avail  mvself  „f  the  best 
naut..;al  experience  of  the  expedition.  Serovant  Kice.  who 
was  m  chaige  of  th.,>  whale-hoat.  was  called  forward  to 
steer  and  assist  in  running  the  launch.  He  was  a  man  of 
excellent  judgment,  accustonu.l  to  boats  fn.n.  hovhood  -md 
had  experience  for  over  a  year  in  the  manag..ment  of  e',,ast- 
ing  ves'ela. 

"  After  leaving  the  coast  the  outside  ice  opened  sorn<.wIiat 
and    considerable  progr.'ss  was  made  to  the  s.,uth  and  east- 


ll 


1 ,  lii 

in. 

li ,  Ml 

m 


698 


oukkly's  iiehoic  achievement. 


ward.  It  wna  the  opinion  of  Sergeant  Rice  and  the  acute 
Eskimo  Jens,  that  if  we  couhl  have  advanced  a  mile  fuitlier 
to  a  hirge  tloe-berg,  we  could  have  gone  southward  without 

dilRculty. 

"The  temperature  fell  that  night  to  18°,  and  young  ice 
formed  between  the  floes  of  suHicient  thickness  to  bear  a 
man  in  places.  Tiie  morning  of  the  2-2d  found  us  beset  be- 
yond 11  doubt,  in  about  longitude  7:5°  80'  W.,  and  79°  21.5' 
N.  I  stated  to  the  party  that  at  the  worst  we  could  reason- 
ably expect  witiiin  the  next  thirty  days  to  drift  into  Sniitii 
Sound,  and  in  so  doing  must  pass  within  eiglit  or  ten  miles 

of  the  coast. 

"  On  the  28t!j  a  proposition  was  made  to  put  the  party 
on  reduced  rations,  which  1  thought  nnadvisabh!  until  such 
action  was  imperative,  in  view  of  tlie  dej)ressing  efieet  it 
would  naturally  havt;  upon  the  party. 

"The  temperature  sank  to  12..')°  on  the  night  of  the 
28th  and  to  10^  on  the  movning  of  the  ;5()lh,  the  lowest 
temperature  ever  recorded  in  August.  On  lb.-  ;ilst,  we  were 
in  about  latitude  71)^  19'  N.,  our  position  indicating  a  slight 
movement  of  tin?  pack  to  the  southward. 

««  An  inventory  of  stores  the  preceding  day  showed  that 
we  had  provisions  for  lifty  days,  except  tea  and  coffee  for 
forty  days.  Tlie  men  at  that  time  were  generally  well, 
althougii  sufTering  much  discomfort  from  their  iiuiclive  con- 
dition and  continued  cold  weather.  An  issue  of  tiiree- 
eighths  of  a  <:ill  of  rum  was  made  that  evening,  and  was  con- 
tinued on  alternate  days   thereafter,  when    thought   neces- 

pary." 

September  10th  was  the  latest  limit  to  which  Lieut. 
Gredy  was  willing  to  await  the  action  of  the  si)iing  tides 
and  heavy  winds  to  break  up  the  fioes.  In  this  Lieut. 
Lockwood  concurred. 

On  September  1st,  the  young  ice  was  broken  up  by  the 
strong  tide  during  calm  weather,  and  the  movement  of  the 


C.REEI.y'8    IIEUOIC    ACIIIKVEMENT.  699 

floes    cntcliing  the  laund,,  raise.l   her  entirely  out  of  the 
water  (lort..na...ly  without  injury),  where  «i.e  remained  for 
several  hou.H.     Tho  ice  showed  a  tendency  that  evening  to 
separat,.   and  considerable  open  water  was  seen  an  far  as  the 
lo;^  would   pernnt_so„..   three   hundred  yards-whieh  an- 
fortunately    ran    east    and    west.     Lieut.  Greely    was    ad- 
vised  to  attempt  a  moven.ent,  but  considered  it  insanity  to 
attempt  to  change  the  position  of  iour  boats  in  such  a  dense 
fog.w.th   th«   lieaviest  tide  of  the  month  coming  on.     The 
prudence  of  the  lieutenant's  decision  was  shou"   a  couple 
of  hours  a  terwards,  at    the   change  of  the  tide,  when  the 
pacl.  elosed  suddenly  an.l   violently,  and  lifted  the  launch 
boddy  out  of  the  water  three  or  four  different  tin.es.  Wh 
morning  came  not  a  pool  of  water  could  be  seen 

From  .he   1st  to  the  8,h,  the  party  did  littl,:  more  thn„ 
dMlt.     On    the    mornmg   of  the  latter  day,  Lie„t.  (Jreely 
suys   he  "  v.s.ted  a  large  fioe-berg.  which  was  half  a  mile 
ong  and  a  ..uar.er  of  a  n>ile  wide,  with  r...  average  eleva- 
f  <".  o    -R  ty  f,..,.     An  excellent  view  to  the  south  showed 
only  densely  packed  ice,  except  a   narrow  lane,    prol.nhly 
about  four  Inn.dred  yards  wide,  running  south  u  few  hnndrej 
yards  from  Cape  C'amperdown.     The  natives  d.-clan-d  .he 
H;e  to  the  west,  in  IJuehanan  Strait,  to  be  that  of  the   „re. 
v.ous  year   and  that  it  had  never  b.„ken  up.     Wi.h  .t  Ls 
I  exa..nned  tue  ace  carefully  for  sledging,  and  the  best  n>ute 
«eeme,     to  coincide  with  the  directiot.  of  the  nearest  land, 
Cocked-llat  Island."  ' 

On  September  -Jth,  the  latitude  having  been  unchanged 
smce  the  6th,  the  party  was  called  together  by  (i.-eely  Ll 
notified  tlL-xt  a  sti.rt  would  be  made  on  the  followin-r  ,]ay  by 
sledge  for  Coeked-IIat  Island.  Preparations  were  at  once 
aade.  Reeonls  were  left  in  the  launch  Lady  Greely  and 
he  jolly-boat  \  alorous,  now  to  be  abandoned,  settin.  forth 
the  condition  of  the  party  and  the  intention  of  rcL-hii,. 
Littleton  Island,  and  possibly  Gary  Islands,  if  practicable 


700 


OUKKI.Y  S    HEROIC    ACIIIKVEMKNT. 


Si'ptomlMT  lOtli  bniko  with  a  iiortliciisterly  snow  storm 
wh'u'h  delayed  their  moving  until  al'tornoon.  One  man  was 
sent  forward  to  select  tlio  rontu  in  udvance.  Tlie  parly 
started  widi  tiiree  sledges,  the  first,  the  twelve-man  sledge, 
draggecl  hy  Greely  and  thirteen  others ;  Lieut.  Kisling- 
bury  with  fivo  others  dnigging  the  six-man  sledge  ;  seigeant 
Jewell  and  thre"  others,  the  Ibur-man  sledge.  15olh  the 
small  sledges  broke  down  the  first  day,  and  the  I'our-nian 
sledge  was  abandoned.  The  six-man  sledge  was  r<'i)aired 
and  used  subsequently. 

At  starting,  the  ostimnted  distanee  of  Coeked-Iliit  Island 
was  eleven  miles.  On  the  11th  it  was  estimated  at  about 
eight  and  a  half  miles,  (ireeiy  says :  ""We  nnide  good 
about  two  miles  due  south  on  the  12lli.  At  noon  of  the 
13th  w<!  were  in  latitude  78^  50. D'  N.,  with  extremely 
divergent  opinions  as  to  our  distanee  from  Coeked-llat 
Island  ;  it  being  variously  eslimatdl  from  four  to  ten  miles 
by  the  party;  the  astronomer  and  I  believed  it  to  be  about 
eight  statute  iniks.  liy  the  map  we  were  six  miles  of  lati- 
tude to  tlie  north  of  the  island  and  nine  miles  due  north  of 
Camp  Clay. 

"On  the  14th  our  latitude  was  estiinaled  anywhere  from 
7H^  T)  I'  to  TH-'  ,")(/.  r>nl  to  our  dismay  after  a  bard  day's 
work,  a  marked  movement  of  the  paek  towaids  the  north- 
east was  discovered  in  the  afternoon,  caused  i)y  a  southwest 
storm,  which  set  us  off  to  the  ncntheast. 

"At  noon  of  tiie  l;"ith  we  were  in  7'.)^  l.S'  N.,  over  a 
mile  north  of  the  latitude  in  which  tiie  liiuneh  was  aban- 
doned, ai:d  at  a  greater  distance  from  land  than  we  had 
over  Iwcn.  The  soutiiwcst  gale  had  dri\en  us  into  the  mid- 
dle of  Kane  Sea,  to  a  point  twelve  lo  lil'leen  miles  east  of 
Cape  Albert.  On  the  evening  of  the  loth  we  were  seven- 
teen miles  northeast  of  Cocked-Hat  Island,  on  the  Littleton 
Island  meridian." 

From  the  ].")th  to  the  evening  of  the  28tli,  the  details  of 


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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  H.-^BO 

(;!6)  872-4503 


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0«EKM-'S    ir.uOIC   ACrriEVE^rENT. 


701 

...ate  ,ar„ly.     0„   li.e  iT'^  ''"ff'"S'<  «»  to  tl,»ir  „l,i. 
chai-go  of  Lieut   T  n,.!-/    j  *    ^•'  ^'''^  ^"'^^t  boat,  in 

-  ;„,  „',;:;:  ^r;  :^  ■■-  ;>  ;-;.^.  f»"...-...  v  'ti,e 

ti.o  wo,k  of  buujh,'  !■:;.'' !':"^  "•»'  ■"°>«<i  '»■"  »„<! 

'oo  h.e  in  the  ee„,o„^        ."C^  7,7'"-'.  i'  boi,,,, 
•l.em  in  about  ,l„ee  weelcs    ^       *    '  "  "'"  ™"  """''I  1"" 

..'Sly    creditable.     It  „,.   I„„         ""- '^'■l'*k.  "■"»  exceed. 
™«fri.„,  f™™  ,ac     „    , ,,         ,:  1'™'  '""'.  ^™'  Pl.,.ic„l 

"™" •  i-."-.^-™..  .o:;';,;';:-:;  ":,:•"  •■«•«'- 

«"*•  ...«™.L,r,  and  discontent    „.|,M      .  "  '"""'  """^ 

i"J-.oet  ■,,„„,.k,  „„d  re         ;„'""';;.'  '.""™  "'■'"'«  i»'0 
only  on  tlie  ..art  „f  „  ,■„„,  ,„  ^'"'  '"'l"op.iety  was 

"..bo.Jinato  and  '„„ifed       S  ,0      7'  T"'  ""'""'-  "'»" 
"«io..   bad  l,„e„  „„„V  ;^"  ''  '""""linntion   „„d  „„!,„, 

"bieb   bad    end  d         T      '   '"      7   '"'"''""'  "■'''■»'  "■•■'"1. 

;'";ba.en  „„,".,■■;:;,:,::  '*;;'-:■"■; -..re.o,, 

'"''•■•ivior  and   loyaliv  n,..,-  .  ^ '"'' f^o""''''?'-.  sood 

"".» b,  tbe  c„'::i,er  :■:,:"'"','[:"' ^°^ 

'trtst,  w  Inch  could  be  subserved 


702 


gheely's  iiEnoic  achievement. 


only  by  unity  and  liiirmony,  but  when  death,  starvation  and 
treat  continued  suffering  impend,  the  temptation  for  the 
strong  to  appropriate  all  and  sacrifice  the  weak  is  certainly 
very  great." 

On  arriving  at  Eskimo  Point,  Sergeant  Rice  and  Jens 
had  vohuitecred  to  make  an  attempt  to  reach  Cape  Siibine 
on  loot.  Records  were  prepared  for  the  cairn  at  Brevoort 
Island,  and  detailed  instructions  were  given  the  serf^eant 
for  this  trip.  He  crossed  to  Rosse  Bay  over  Alfred  New- 
ton  Glacier,  which  was  discovered  to  be  practicable  by 
Lieut.  Kislingbury  while  hunting  previously.  On  the  9lh, 
the  sergeant  returned,  bringing  encouraging  news.  He 
brought  the  record  of  Lieut.  Garlington,  dated  July  24th, 
which  informed  Greely  of  the  sinking  of  the  Proteus 
on  July  23d,  and  that  Garlington  and  her  crew  had  gone  to 
the  east  coast  to  communicate  with  the  U.  S.  S,  Yantic  or 
a  Swedish  steamer.  Rice  discovered  three  caches— the 
English  one  of  240  rations,  the  Bcebe  cache  of  240  rations, 
and  the  wreck  cache,  which,  from  Lieut.  Garlington's 
report,  contained  500  rations  of  bread,  sleeping  bags,  tea 
and  a  lot  of  canned  goods.  The  record  further  said : 
"Cache  on  Littleton  L><land  and  boat  at  Cape  Isabella." 
The  words  "  two  hundred  and  fifty  rations"  contained  in 
Lieut.  Garlington's  copy  as  furnished  to  the  Proteus 
court  of  inquiry,  Lieut.  Greely  says,  were  not  in  the  origi- 
nal  record. 

In  speaki;*  of  the  modification  of  Lieut.  Garlington's 
recoid.and  his  reasons  for  referring  to  it,  Lieut.  Greely  says  : 
"  The  record  h-Ct  had  an  important  bearing  upon  my  subse- 
quent action.  Tiie  record  informed  me  of  (he  disaster  to 
th(^  Proteus  and  of  Lieut.  Garlington's  positive  assurance 
that  everything  within  the  power  of  man  to  rescue  my  party 
would  be  done.  His  declaration  that  he  left  for  the  east 
coast  to  endeavor  to  open  up  commuication,  and  pointing  out 
that  if  the  Yantic  failed  him  a  Swedish  steamer  was  possi- 


II 


OUKELY'S    IIEUUIC    ACIIIEVEJfENT. 


<!q"i|.|w.l  for  an  Arctic  «l„t-r    I    .        '""'". "'"P'  "« 

On  the  moniino:  of  tlip  19fJ.  ti 

of  the  15th  renoh,.,l  fl,„  '           '  "''°"'  ^  P-  M. 

'"'J  gone  to  Cape  Is'ibHI..  t.  ^''nstmnsen,  who 

-tur„e.l  about  L  ho.,  afte          ^h  T  '"''"7  °'*'"  P''^'''"^ 

-■;-.rE,,,.r„;:;^:l:;-;;;;;t:;"'"^r-!-<'.:- 

of  the  party   were  ,ronor.,]Ur    i  ,  ^^^  ^P"'*'' 

-nt,  as  .hcVa:rtl:  Vrr     ;>■„  '."^^  "-;;-- 

tliat  some  ^toro.  mn=f  i,        i^  '  '"'''"  '•o"fi<J<'"t 

^.•:;,,^"'^  -"«    h«ve  been  lande.l  ,.t  Cnpe  Isab.llu 

"■^--»-.-.^rt^::^::r;jr,r-:: 


IP 


704 


oheely's  iieuoic  achievement. 


provisions  actually  wliliiii  reach.  To  tliis  end  steps  were 
JmmcHliiiU'ly  taken  'o  collect  the  (lUlerei.t  caches  alonfr  the 
coast  and  to  lianling  in  the  two  whale-boats.  Jlrny  of  the 
stores  were  found  to  be  9[)oiled  and  unfit  for  use,  were  con- 
demned by  Dr.  Pavy,  and  ordered  to  be  thrown  awny. 
However,  owing  to  the  ravenous  condition  of  the  men, 
mucii  of  it  was  eaten. 

Just  here  we  may  observe,  that  from  the  statements  of 
Lieut.  Greely  and  the  survivors  of  the  expedition,  it  is 
shown  that  the  proper  supplies  for  the  party  had  not  been 
cached  here,  as  it  had  been  intended  that  Lieut.  Garlington 
sliould,  and  which  matter  subsequently  was  made  the  sub- 
ject of  investigation  by  a  Naval  Board  of  Inquiry. 

The  party  built  a  house  with  little  delay.  The  work  of 
collecting  the  supplies  and  building  the  hous  was  of  tlie 
most  trying  charactei^.  Half-starved  and  irdifforently  clad, 
these  men  were  subjected  almost  daily  to  temperatures  at 
or  below  zero,  from  which  frequent  frost  bites' resulted, 

"  Near  the  end  of  October,"  says  Lieut.  Greely,  "  I  reluct- 
antly  decided  that  it  would  be  advisable  to  send  to  Cape 
Isabella  for  the  hundred  and  forty-four  pounds  of  English 
meat  cached  there.  This  moat,  if  obiiiined,  would  add  two- 
thirds  of  an  ounce  to  our  rations,  which  miglit  mean  life." 
Sergeants  Rice,  Elison  and  three  others  were  sent  on  No- 
vember 2d,  the  temperature  at  that  time  being  nine  degrees 
below  zero.  Of  the  experiences  of  these  men,  the  report 
of  Lieut.  Greely  best  explains.  He  says  :  «'  I  was  awaken- 
ed at  midnight  of  November  9th  and  10th  by  footstei  s, 
which  proved  to  be;  tliose  of  Lieut.  Rice,  who  informed  •  m 
that  Sergeant  Elison  was  dying.  I  gathered  I'roin  his 
statement  that  three  day's  traveling  iiad  carried  his  party 
to  the  neighborhood  of  Cnpe  Isabidla,  and  that,  leaving 
their  bags  and  rations  m  camp,  they  visited  Isabelhi  ai;d 
brouglit  to  camp  the  one  hundred  and  forty-four  pounds  of 
En'dish   beef.     On   reaching  their  bags  and  rations  it  was 


GKEELY'S    HEKOIC   ACHIEVEMENT.  705 

found    that    Serjeant    Fi;<:«r, 

-uitin,  n.o.„  Co  „tt:;x:r"''  't'"'^-' 

which  his  hands   had  become  w"/    r"'  '"  '""'^""^ 
days'  effom  to  bring  bo    "^  on "nd   ^  '•    t""  '^^" 

Rice  perceived  that'it  was   to" le  td"  '/"^""' 

sequence,   the    rifle    and    me, u  u      '°'  ''"^'  '"  ''"'- 

«^amp  uiay.     It  was  discovered,  however   flinf  vv      . 
powers  of  resistance  to  cold  were  g^ne   and   '    f.  "    " 

diately  on  the  slightest  exposure'   oVreacin^trnr 
between  Baird  Inlet  and  Rosse  j,^ ''"/'"''"'"g  ^^^  "''ge 
haul  Elison  over  it      T vJ        ,      ^'     ^^  """■"  """'^'«  '» 
cookin..      IZ       ;  /.      '"'  '*""■"  prevented  them  from 
cookn.g.     R.ce  and  Frederick  decided  that  the  only  chan  ^ 
of  safety  was  m   Rice  returning  to  Camp  Clay  for  as  It 
ance  wh,le  Frederick  and  Linn  remained  in  I  L^ 
bag  to  thaw  out  Elison  by  .he  heat  of  their  b    I       E* 
had  come  through  from  Eskin.o  Point  to  Camp  Clay  in  one 
march  and  without  food,  except  a  bit  of  f. 
on   the   wnv      w  ,      ^  ''^°^^'"  ™^"'  eaten 

an-ivah  """"  "'  '"''"^^   ^^''""^'^'^  «"  h>s 

"  Sergeant  Brainard  and  Christiansen  started  at  4  30  tha 

Kiirf  .if'^r-'^'^  -^^'^^"-  -^  -'-^-  t 

i^.lisons    uhc>f.     They   were    followed   at   6.30    by   Lieut 
Lockwood.  Dr.  Pavy,  Jens,  Sergeant  Jewell,  Privates  El  is 

z  oft:  nth"''  .^'^  "■^^^•^-'"""  ^^<-  «■> ''-  -•- 

F    derie',  \   "^""/"^  ^"'"^^'^''^'^^  broken  down,  bu! 

l^iedeuck,  though  greatly  exhausted  physically,  wns  in  a 
wonderful  condition  considering  his  privations,  'it  L^ 
-.d  here  that  Sergeant  Linn  never  recovered,  mentally  or 

45  ^ 


706 


grekly'8  heroic  aciiikvement. 


pliyaically,  from  the  effects  of  this  trip,  niul  lo  liis  sufferings 
on  tliia  arduous  journey  I  ascribe  his  early  death. 

"  Sergeant  Brainurd  on  reaciiing  the  bag  found  Fred- 
erick, Elison,  and  Linn  frozen  in.  He  was  uiutble  to  extri- 
cate them  from  the  bag,  and  fed  tliem  in  it.  On  Lieut. 
Lockwood's  arrival,  a  few  liours  later,  the  men  were  frozen 
80  solidly  in  the  bag  that  it  became  necessary  to  cut  it  to 
pieces  with  a  hatchet  in  order  to  release  them  fiom  their 
imprisonment. 

♦«  Lieut.  Lockwood  and  party  arrived  with  Elison  about 
10  A.  M.  of  the  12th,  having  made  but  one  camp  during 
their  absence.  Tlieir  march  was  a  most  extraordinary  one, 
considering  the  previous  condition  of  the  men,  the  complete 
darkness,  and  the  state  of  the  ice.  This  half-starved  party 
of  eight  men  made  a  round  trip  of  about  forty  miles,  in 
total  darkness,  and  over  rough  and  licavy  ice,  in  forty-four 
hours,  witli  teinperalures  ranging  from  -19°  to  -34.5°. 
The  remarkable  work  done  by  this  party  ajipears  the  more 
astonishing,  in  that  this  was  their  third  winter  within  the 
Arctic  Circle,  that  tiiey  had  been  on  short  rations  for  over 
two  months,  and  had  been  utterly  inactive  for  (he  previous 
ten  days.  In  the  most  willing  manner,  without  a  murmur, 
these  men  ventured  their  lives  on  the  mere  possibility  of 
rescuing  a  comrade  whom  ihey  expected  to  find  dead." 

The  account  of  Sergeant  Brainard,  who  had  so  promptly 
started  out  in  company  with  the  faithful  Christiansen  to  the 
relief  of  Elison,  is  truly  pathetic,  and  shows  the  terrible 
straits  in  which  these  men  were  placed.  These  are  the 
words  from  his  diary  :  "  The  darkness  was  intense  when  we 
started,  and  Christiansen  and  myself  floundered  about 
among  the  hummocks  and  through  the  deep  snow  for  some 
time  without  advancing  very  far.  We  stumbled  frequently, 
and  often  fell  on  tlie  rubble,  receiving  serious  bruises.  The 
monotony  of  the  tramp  was  sometimes  broken  by  my  dusky 
companion,   who   uttered    half    suppressed    English    oaths 


OREELY'S    MKUo.c    ACIIKVKMENT. 


707 
wJienevtT   lie  fell   ovr..-  ,.  ^    •      . 

noon   .e  r...U^ZZ'Z7"'r''  ^'  '-^     About 

racies  huddled   to^etl  er  iu  '"     .  ""  """'"'  '^''«^^"  -'»- 

^-en  state.     El^^'l^  ^  T '''''r ''''''  '"  "  -'"'- 

ti-  When  Rice  l.ad  lea  irt^:;^;:;^^^^^^^^^^ 
very  weak,  and  both  had  frozen  tU       /       ^  "^'Jenek  were 
quite  severely.     After  Ir  4    T   T  ""''  '^'^^^^^i-^ 
in.'  "  fire  inihe  at  ks  aW  t      '"''^  '  ^"^^^'^"^^'^  '"  "'"1^- 
-"ieh   they  thoroul    /  ^        7 '"' ^^t' ^ 
delicious  drinks,  wirielfgae;   m"'T  ','""'"  ''"'  ""^ 
f'-a-es.  and  in  a  measure      s,     !  ?  ^'T"  "'^'^^"""''^'^ 
Elison  is  a  pitiable  sight  wk    h  L  f        r"''''^'  circulation. 
an.1  Ins  lin.bs  ice-Iike^n  ,';  '"7/'«'-^^-d  "-1  frozen, 

-  '"  '<iil  l.i.n  that  the  orelti,.Verr\""'^^^ 
assure   him   with   the  as^n.-n      """^  ^^ '''^«'-     I  (Wed  to 

^.-  these  inhospi'ibir : :  ::r  ^-'^^' «» --?« 

together,  but,  shakn..   his  1  e    ]  """  *"  ""'"  ''^"^'^^ 

a  low,  pleading  voice"     Pie    it  f^'  '"  ^'""'^'  '''^I-"*  '" 

''II.adco.:;e.,aV.f         .t".?"^ 
wi.l.  the  assistanee'of  Jn  1^  d"":"  ^'"^  ''''"^'''  ""^ 

towards  Camp  Clay  unti     h    1  '''      ''  ^"'"^  '"'"  ^-'^ 

-s  n.et  witlAnt  L  c:!  j  ^^  ^^f  ""^^'- ^^^"-^ 
tl.ey  assured  me  that  they  o"  do  n'"'"^ "''"'''''"«' 
did  not  believe   ,hat  ther"  J  '^.V'    '""^' '"  ^"'^^  *''^T 

Tl-  was  now  C  ^ ,:;  ^  ^:|;;-^  assis,ane^ 
"'akmg  the  poor  fellows  as  comfortaL/  ^.^P"'"'^"'^.  «« 
back  with  my  faithful  Mllv  .T  '^^'"''' P"^«''''«  I  turned 
-•ndsthenbio'winr     V    .n^^^^^^^^ 

gladdened  by  the  appea  ance  f  l!'i '  T  """  ''^'"^^•-« 
Pavy,  Jewell,  Salor,'!  TnT  .l^  r  """  ""  '''^  '""^'^''  "'^ 
e'i...  Lard  since  0  o'cj  ^^  r^^^'  ^^^^ 'l'"!  ^-■'  ^-v 
I  took  our  places  in  the  dra.-roe"cf  re.  "':'""""  ""^ 
to  the  south  side  of  Rosse  £•'     'vl  """'^  ""'''  "'""> 

-leringth  Ltk  :.':•: -""'^""'^^  ^^'-''>''  -d  -n- 
cak  state  ,t  ,s  surprising  how  the  men  could 


I 


708 


OltEELY'b    liEKUIO   ACHIEVKMENT. 


liiivc  t'lidiircd  tlic  severe  etraiii  while  tiavelinj;  umlcr  il8  in- 
fluence to-tlay. 

'•  We  obtained  very  little  sleep  during  the  niglit,  owing  to 
the  low  temperature  and  the  continuance  of  the  gale.  The 
cook  was  called  at  4. .'JO  A.  M.,  and  at  0  o'clock  I  started 
forward  alone  to  prepare  breaki'aat  i'or  Elison,  Linn  and 
Frederick,  while  the  party  whs  to  break  cunip  and  I'ollow 
immediately  with  the  sledge.  The  fellows  had  not  ulept 
during  my  absence,  and  when  I  loached  them  they  were 
shivering  with  tiic  cold.  It  is  almost  surprising  that  they 
survived  the  cold  of  last  night.  They  were  in  a  hall-starved, 
half-frozen  condition,  and  the  merciless  storm  had  been 
incessantly  beating  down  on  their  unprotected  covering  of 
buffalo-skin.  I  stopped  for  a  moment  to  contemplate  the 
scene.  Nothing  could  be  more  utterly  desolate,  dreary, 
and  forsaken  than  the  spot  on  which  those  brave  fellows 
were  lying.  "Without  shelter  save  such  as  was  aftbrded  by 
a  small  tent-fly,  their  bag  was  lying  on  a  narrow  terrace 
only  a  few  feet  above  the  ice-foot  and  the  tides,  where  it 
was  fully  exposed  to  the  fury  of  the  winds.  Above  thera 
and  extending  to  the  summit  of  the  elope  was  a  chaotic 
wilderness  of  rocks,  through  which  the  winds  had  carried 
great  quantities  c>f  loose  snow  and  heaped  it  about  this 
place  of  refuge." 

Brainard  then  describes  the  work  of  relieving  these  three 
comrades  from  their  perilous  position,  and  the  return  march 
to  Camp  Clay,  dragging  the  sledge  with  Elison  upon  it. 
In  speaking  of  this  occurrence  he  briefly  refers  to  these  in- 
hospitable  regions  in  these  words  :  "The  iron-bound  coast, 
the  chaotic  masses  of  pulverized  ice  at  its  border,  and  the 
weird  scene  of  desolation  spreading  like  a  pall  about  us  on 
every  side,  heightened  and  intensifled  the  forbidding  aspect 
of  these  inhospitable  regions,  which  had  never  before  seem- 
ed so  utterly  devoid  of  redeeming  qualities.  A  feeling  of 
awe  seemed  to  have  taken  possession  of  the  party  while  it 


vN 


.^-\ 


:'N^ 


X^: 


^xNn 


K 


\ 


:^^ 


■.N\-^ 


>>:> 


>v 


708 


nUEKLY'tt    IliCUUIC   ACiilKVKMENT. 


Imvu  eiultired  tlio  buvctu  t>traiii  wliilu  triiveiiiig  uiiiKr  its  iiH 
rtucnce  t<)-<l»y. 

"  Wo  obliiiiu'd  very  little  sleep  duriii*;  the  n!glit,  owing  to 
tlie  low  tc'iii|ienUiire  atui  the  coiitiiiuniice  of  tiie  gait'.  Tito 
cook  WHS  eallfd  ut  4,'<10  A.  31.,  mid  ttt  0  o'clock  1  Mtartt-d 
forward  alone  to  prepare  hnakfant  for  Klison,  Linn  and 
Frederick,  while  the  party  wns  to  break  camp  and  follow 
ininiediateiy  with  tiiu  sledge.  Thu  fellows  had  not  slept 
during  my  ahgence,  and  when  I  reached  them  they  were 
shivering  with  the  cold.  It  itt  almost  surprising  that  tliey 
surviveil  the  cold  of  hist  night.  They  were  in  n  hall-starved, 
Indf-frozen  condition,  niid  tlio  merciless  storm  had  been 
Incessantly  beating  down  on  their  unprotected  covering  of 
bu'Jalo-skin.  7  stopped  for  u  moment  to  contemplate  the 
scene.  Nothing  could  bo  more  utterly  desolate,  dreary, 
and  forsaki'u  than  the  spot  on  which  those  brave  fellows 
were  lying.  "Without  shelter  save  such  us  was  att'orded  by 
a  snuill  tent-fly,  their  bag  was  lying  on  a  narrow  terrace 
only  a  few  feet  above  the  ice-foot  and  the  tides,  where  it 
was  fully  exposed  to  the  fury  of  the  winds.  Above  them 
and  extending  to  the  summit  of  the  slope  was  a  chaotic 
wilderness  of  rocks,  through  which  the  winds  had  carried 
great  quantities  of  loose  snow  and  heaped  it  about  thit 
place  of  refuge." 

Brainard  then  describes  the  work  of  relieving  these  three 
comrades  from  their  perilous  position,  and  the  return  march 
to  Camp  Clay,  dragging  the  sledge  with  Klison  upon  it. 
In  speaking  of  this  occurrence  he  briefly  refers  to  these  in- 
hospitable regions  in  these  words  :  "The  iron-bound  coast, 
the  chaotic  masses  of  pidverized  ice  at  its  border,  and  the 
weird  scene  of  desolation  spreading  like  a  pall  about  us  on 
every  side,  heightened  and  intensilied  the  forbidding  aspect 
of  these  inhospitable  regions,  which  had  never  before  seem- 
ed so  utterly  devoid  of  redeeming  qualities.  A  feeling  of 
awe  seemed  to  have  taken  possession  of  the  party  while  it 


GUEELT'S    HEnoiC    ACIIIEVEMENU 


709 

of  the  n-irfv  «,.„••        T  F't'ty-     ut  the  condition 

«i".iw  to  .„a'.  of ,«::;,  "^"r :;  s? "  "'^^ 

Ihe  return  of  the  party  completed  all  sled-^e  wo.-I-       ^ 
winter  routine  commenced.     "  Bv  the  ll    f  at  '    ""^ 

«ays  Greely,^.the  party  had  a  fnll        r  ^'''"""^'■'" 

Arctic  .inter,  of  foir  Id t   l^X^T  V:'"'  "" 

hue  with  inadequate  tbod  and  t;;:::;::^"^ 

«"pply  of  provisions   on   hand   wa,  «„  i  ''® 

Heu..n.nttoc«tdo.„th:\:r;tr:.;:rr'': 

munmum  i„  order  to  make  them  hold  out  n      ,        feh    " 

January   1st  was  tlie   earliest  day  on  whil  ,    . 

B.g"s  of  weakness  became   evident      L  eu     T   7  ""7^'^ 
Sergeant  Cross  both  showed   on     hat  r  '"r"' '"^"^ 

On  the  18th   Ser<re.„u   P  -1       ,    ?        ''^  ''^"'  "^  ^'"''"g- 
I9th.     An  occal;;       ^''''J''^'  ^^^^^  -««  buried  on  tire 

ounce  of  bieXTe^t"  "'■''""■^   ^"^"'•''"^^  "^ ''"'^ - 
end  of  the  mol     d    ""  ""'f  '"^  ''''  '''''^  ^^^^'^^  ^>- 

m-ty  in  excellent  rr  '""'"''  ''"^''^  ''''^'  *'"« 

/        excellent  spirits,  excepting  Lieut.  Lockwood  who 


710 


gkeely's  heroic  achievement. 


was   very  weak ;   Ellis  and  Jewell,  who  were  very  despond- 
ent,  and  Eskimo  Jens,  who  was  slightly  complaining. 

On  February  2d  Sergeant  Rice  and  Eskimo  Jons  left  for 
Littleton  Island.  The  party  in  general  believed  that 
lieut.  Garlington  was  at  Littleton  Island  with  ample  sup- 
plies  from  the  Yantic,  and  consequently  they  counted  on  cer- 
tain help.  In  this  belief,  however,  Lieut.  Greely  did  not 
coincide,  for  certain  reasons  already  stated. 

On  the  Glh  Sergeant  Rice  and  the  Eskimo  Jens  again 
returned  to  camp,  well,  but  thorougldy  exhausted,  espec- 
ially  the  Eskimo.  Rice  reported  that  open  water  extended 
from  ten  miles  off  of  Wade  Point,  and  a  mile  off  of 
Brevoort  Island,  as  for  north  into  Kane  Sea  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  At  no  time  was  the  Greenland  shore  visible. 
He  thought  he  had  reached  a  point  as  far  south  as  Littleton 
Island,  and  about  ten  miles  distant. 

The  first  day  of  ISIarcli  brought  the  date  fixed  the  previous 
autumn  for  crossing  Smith  Sound.  Lieut.  Greely  says: 
"  We  had  lived  to  that  time  on  a  ration  declared  to  be  im- 
possible for  the  sustenance  of  life,  only  to  encounter  other 
misfortunes.  Smith  Sound  was  open  for  miles  Irom  Bre- 
voort Island  to  the  eastward  and  northward,  and  the  party 
were  in  such  diminished  strengtii  from  five  months'  fasting, 
that  the  boat  could  not  be  moved  from  the  roof  of  the 
building  by  our  united  efforts.  My  purpose  still  lield  to 
attempt  the  crossing  by  sledges  if  an  ice-bridge  only  formed, 
but  my  hopes  in  that  direction  weakened,  and  later  in  the 
month  I  publicly  abandoned  all  hope  of  the  sound  freezing 
over. 

"Spring  opened  with  twenty- four  living,  of  whom  twenty- 
two  were  yet  in  health,  thouirh  very  materially  reduced  in 
physical  strength  from  tlie  small  ration. 

"  On  March  14th  I  announced  that  we  could  live  at  our  pres- 
ent camp  four  weeks  longer  on  substantially  the  same  ration 
we  were  then  eating,  and  while  such  an  arrangement  would 


GREELY'S    IIEUOIC    ACIHEVEMENT.  711 

leave  nothing  for  crossing  Smith's  Sound,   it   wouhl   insure 
our  safety  if  a  party  at  Littleton  Island  could  reach  us 

"On  the  23d  I  announced  that   we   could  run  alon^  on 
the  present  ration  (as  reduced  on  the  17th)  until  ApHrCth 
and  then  by  cutting  down  to  three  ounces  of  n^eat  ^er  day,' 
without  bread,  we  could  exist  until  May  1  "  ^         ^> 

to   he  5th,  dunng  wh.ch  time  Long  killed  eleven  dovekies 
and  two  ptarmigans.     Sergeant    Rice  and   Corporal   So 
^«  catc  ing  shrimps  by  nets,  bringing  in  L.  ^^ 
tothnty   pounds  daily,   until  the   7n,,   when   the  ccrporal 
broke  down  and  Sergeant  Brainard  was  obliged  to   tempo 
rarily  take  his  place.  ^  itmpo- 

On  the  5th,  Christiansen,  the  Eskimo,  died  ;  the  first  one 
to  d,     rom  starvation.     On  the  6th,  the  day  foilowino,  Se" 

On  the  11th,  Private  Long  and  Eskimo  Jens,  after  fol- 
lowing  u  be.,.  ,.,,,, y  t.vo  n.iles,  succeeded  in  killing  I  i m 
w.  hin  thirty  feet  of  the  oj-en  water.  The  bear  wa  lui  led 
-by  the  strongest  of  the  party  and  appeared  to "  mi  « 
future  sa  ety,  as  it  was  believed  game  could  be  readily  b 
a  ned  a  ter  the  1st  of  May.  .  PHvate  Long's  success  in 
killing  tins  bear,"  «ays  Greely,  .  showed  the  same  nerve 
a.id  skill  which  had  made  him  the  acknowledged  hunt      of 

nr;.rr-   .^^^^-^-'^^-M-tienccir^n  enduraLe 
nJ'  l-blemarksmans:.;pwere  due  part  of  the  seals  of 
the  previous  autumn,  the  birds  of  the  early  sprint,  and  thia 
great  addit  on   to  our  food,   which   undoubtedly  I  v'd 
remnant  of  the  party."  ^ 

Sergeant  Jewell  died  on  the  12th.  On  the  13th  Private 
F  ederick  returned  to  camp  reporting  the  death  of  Sergean 
ri.3e  from  exhaustion  the  previous  Wednesday  in  Baird  In! 
let,  some  SIX  m.Ies  from  the  old  camp  at  Eskimo  Point.  He 
was  at  the  time  on  an  expedition  to  Baird  Inlet  tobrin.  nn 
the  English  meat  which  had  been  abandoned  there    IIe"h"S 


•I 


712 


greely's  heroic  achievement. 


volunteered  for  the  futul  journey,  conscious  of  the  dangers, 
but  was  impelled  to  do  so  owing  to  the  desperate  stiaits  of 
the  party,  and  in  iiopes  of  saving  his  starving  conuadcs. 

The  bear  killed  by  Long  and  Jens  on  the  11th  added  so 
materially  to  the  supplies,  that  Lieut.  Greely  commenced 
on  the  14th  to  issue  a  pound  of  meat  daily  to  each  man. 
But  notwithstanding  this  addition  the  men  were  growing 
weaker  daily.  On  the  18th,  Dr.  Pavy,  the  surgeon,  report- 
ed six  of  the  men  quite  weak.  He  reported  Lieut.  Greely's 
heart  in  a  very  bad  condition,  and  that  death  might  result 
at  any  moment. 

On  April  23,  the  fuel  gave  out  and  privates  Bender  and 
Henry  commenced  tearing  out  the  inside  of  the  boat,  which 
had  a  depressing  effect  upon  the  party,  as  its  destruction 
seemed  to  foretell  the  fate  of  the  entire  party.  It  was  ne- 
cessary, however,  as  the  last  stearine  had  been  used  for 
cooking  ill  tiiat  day,  and  the  seven  gallons  of  alcohol  re- 
maining would  serve  a  better  purpose  as  food,  and  in  eking 
out  the  meat,  bread,  and  other  supplies,  of  which  there  re- 
mained about  three  hundred  and  iifty  pounds  including 
shrimps. 

On  the  27th,  Long  and  Jens  were  out  hunting  and  while 
thus  engaged  Jens  was  drowned  by  the  cutting  of  his  Kayak 
by  yonng  ice.  The  death  of  Jens  caused  great  sorrow,  be- 
cause of  "the  strong  affection  they  all  had  for  his  great-heart- 
edness,  unvarying  truthfulness,  and  strict  integrity. 

"  On  the  22th  of  May,"  says  Lieut.  Greely,  "  after  con- 
Bultation  with  Sergeant  Brainard,  I  ordered  the  issue  of  our 
last  meat  and  tallow,  which  included  rations  for  the  15lh  of 
May.  After  the  experience  of  May  3d,  it  appeared  barely 
possible  that  one  of  the  worst  men  of  the  party  might 
break  into  tlie  storehouse  and  appropriate  the  small  quan- 
tity of  remaining  food,  hoping  thus  to  save  himself  at  the 
expense  of  the  others. 

"  Tlie  issue  of  our  last  regular  food  leads  me  to  speak  of 


okeely's  iiEnoic  achievement. 


718 


Sergeant  Brainard's  services  in  that  connection.  Faithfully 
and  fairly  for  all  our  service  he  issued  food  and  all  other 
supplies.  In  his  equity  and  even  justice  all  had  faith.  Per- 
sonally  he  made  all  issues,  kept  all  accounts,  and  reported 
to  me  weekly  or  otherwise  as  ordered.  His  safe  and  cure- 
ful  estimates  of  unknown  weights  of  bread  and  meat  were 
of  incalculable  benefit  in  the  spring.  The  scores  of  pounds 
which  these  estimated  supplies  overran  were  sure  testimony 
as  to  what  I  firmly  believe,  that  in  all  tiiat  terrible  winter 
no  ounce  of  unauthorized  food  passed  his  lips.  In  less  loyal 
and  more  unscrupulous  hands  these  gains  would  never  have 
been  reported.  That  a  starving  man  for  months  could  han- 
die  daily  such  amounts  of  food  and  not  take  for  himself 
speaks  volumes  for  his  moral  courage." 

On  the  19th,  Private  Ellis  died,  the  first  one  in  the  past 
SIX  weeks.     On  the  23d  he  was  followed  by  Sergeant  Rals- 
ton,  an  excellent  observer  and  an  efficient  man  in  the  field. 
Dr.  Pavy  having  expressed  the  opinion  that  all  would  die 
in  a  few  days  unless  removed  from  the  hut,  where  the  melt- 
ing  snow  saturated  their  clothing  and  kept  tlien.  continually 
cold  and  wretched,  the  strength  of  the  party  was  devoted, 
on  the  22d,  to  pitching  the  wall-tent  about  three  hundred 
yards  southeast  of  the  winter  hut,  on  a  level,   but  gravelly 
spot.     The  tent  was  able  to  hold  but  a  portion  of  the  party, 
and  the  strongest  were  directed  to  sleep  for  a   time   in  the 
huti  but  the  wliole  party  messed  together  at  the  tent.   The 
weakest  moved  to  the  tent  on  the  23d.     Private  Whislcr 
managed  to  walk  to  the  tent  alone,  but  became  unconscious 
that  evening.     Sergeant  Israel  walked   half  way,   and  was 
hauled  the  rest  of  the  distance. 
Private  Whisler  died  on  (he  24th. 

Sergeant  Israel  weakened  gradually,  and  on  the  27th  he 
died  very  eiisily.  He  had  been  a  most  valuable  man  to  the 
expedition  in  its  scientific  work,  and  earnestly  desired  field 
service  d-spite  his  slender  and  weak  physique. 


^. 


714 


gkkely's  heroic  achievement. 


On  June  l9t,  Lieut.  Kislingbury  died.  He  was  an  earn- 
est,  Imrd-working  ofRcer,  and  liad  attained  an  excellent  rep- 
utation, paiticuhuiy  for  detached  service  in  the  iield  in  con- 
nection with  Indian  scouts.  The  qualities  which  insured 
sucpess  there,  perhaps,  caused  him  to  chafe  under  rto.raint 
incident  to  service  where  his  work  and  actions  were  strictly 
limited.  He  was  a  successful  hunter,  a  man  of  very  fine 
physique,  and  never  si)ared  himself  any  personal  exertion 
which  would  add  to  the  personal  comfort  or  pleasure  of 
others.  He  worked  hard  and  manfully  during  the  retreat 
and  subsequent,  life  at  Cape  Sabine. 

Corporal  Salor  became  delirious  on  the  2d,  and  died  on 
the  3d.  Dr.  Pavy,  also  very  weak,  became  slightly  delir- 
ious on  this  day  ;  and  although  better  menially  on  the  4th, 
he  drank  the  contents  of  a  vial  of  ergot,  probably  by  mis- 
take. The  doctor  died  at  G  P.  M.,  on  the  6th,  his  death 
possibly  hastened  by  the  ergot. 

To  siiow  the  terrible  straits  to  whicli  these  men  were  re- 
duced, we  quote  Lieut.  Greely  at  this  point : 

"On  tiie  4th  Long  succeeded  in  obtaining  one  dovekie 
out  of  seven  killed.     I  ordered   the  dovekie  to  be  issued  to 
the  hunters,  who  could  barely  walk.     Bender  begged,  with 
tears,  for  his  twelfth,  which  1  finally  gave  him,  though  some 
of  the   party   urged  strongly   that  he  should  not  have  it. 
There  was  some  feeling  over  this  point  after  Bender's  allow- 
ance was  given  liim.     I  informed  Bender  that  the  hunters 
must  be  kept  on  their  feet,  and  unless  they  were  kept  in 
such  condition  as  to  obtain  shrimps  and  game  the  party 
must  inevitably  perish.    I  also  informed  Sergernt  Long  that 
in   case  he   feared   trouble  over   the  division  of  any  bud 
brought  in  he  had  best  retain  and  eat  his  share  of  the  game, 
as  his  strength  must  be  maintained." 

Private  Bender  became  weaker  on  the  5th,  and  died  on 

the  6th. 

On  the  4th  and  5th  Private  Henry  had  been  detected  m 


GREELY'9    IIEUOIC    ACIIIEVKMENT. 


715 


stealing  from  the  stores,  mid  ulll.oiigli  frequenHy  warned  by 
Lieut.  Greely  on  previous  occasions,  still  persisted.  Orders 
liad  been  given  to  watch  him,  and  if  caught  in  tlie  net  of 
stealing,  to  shoot  him.  On  the  5th  he  was  shot,  and  the 
stolen  property  was  found  upon  his  person.  Every  one  of 
the  party,  without  exception,  acknowledged  that  liia  fat 
was  merited. 

"  On  the  Gth,"  says  Greely,  "  wo  commenced  eatincr  a 
great  deal  of  a  large  black  lichen,  which  the  doctor  had  m\d 
was  injurious.  These  lichens  proved  very  palatable  and 
nutritious,  and  were  regularly  gathered  thereafter.  Gar- 
diner,  Sclmeider,  and  Elison  were  then  helpless.  I  could 
only  drag  myself  fifty  yards  from  the  tent  to  rocks  where  I 
could  hunt  these  lichens.  Biederbeck  and  Connell  could  go 
farther,  though  very  weak  and  feeble. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  7th  all  the  shrimps  on  hand  were 
eaten  for  breakfast,  the  first  time  we  were  without  a  supply 
of  them,  and  we  commenced  that  evening  on  seal-skin  stews 
from  boot-soles. 

"  On  the  8th  a  bunch  of  purple  saxifrage  was  found  in 
full  bloom,  the  first  specimen  since  May  2ist.  Lon"  was 
sick  on  the  9th— his  32nd  birlhday-and  could  not  hunt. 
A  spoonful  of  our  last  gill  of  brandy  was  given  him  for  his 
birthday. 

"  On  the  lOtii  a  dovekie  was  brouglit  in,  which  went  to 
the  hunters,  although  there  were  some  unpleasant  remarks 
about  it.  I  urged  that  the  end  should  be  met  decently. 
^  "  About  that  time  in  Sergeant  Gardiner's  case  inflamma- 
tion  of  the  bowels  set  in,  owing  to  excessive  constipation, 
and  on  the  12th  he  died. 

"  On  the  12th  of  June,  a  distress-signal  was  erected  by 
Sergeant  Brainard  on  the  adjacent  cliflTs,  it  being,  as  my 
memoiy  then  served  me,  the  average  date  of  the  whalers 
reaching  North  Water.  On  the  13th  my  seal-skin  jumper, 
reserved  for  shrimp  bait,  was  divided  between  the  party  and 


I 


716 


ORKKLY'8  heuoic  achievkment. 


eaten  roasted ;  mid  the  oil-tiinned  covering  on  my  sleopiiig- 
biig  was  cut  otr  and  divided  between  tlie  party  on  tliut  and 
tlie  following  day. 

"  On  the  lotli  the  hunters,  who  liad  been  eating  such 
lichens  as  tiiey  could  gather  while  out,  owing  to  coinnionts, 
decided  to  put  in  the  general  mess  all  they  collected.  The 
same  day  Private  Schneider  piteously  begged  for  opium 
pills  to  end  his  life  ;  but  Steward  IJiederbeck  concealed 
them,  to  avert  any  possible  consequences.  On  the  IGth  Ser- 
geant Brainard  collected  his  last  shrimps,  his  nets  being 
carried  away  by  the  ice  breaking  up.  The  amount  collected 
in  June  had  only  been  forty-four  pounds.  On  tlie  18th 
Scluieider,  who  had  gradually  become  weaker  and  been 
hel|)les3  for  some  time,  died." 

While  these  men  were  thus  undergoing  the  rigors  of  the 
extreme  cold  and  suffering  the  pangs  of  hunger  unto  starva- 
tion on  these  bleak  and  inhospitable  shores  during  the  win- 
ter of  1883-4  and   the  following  spring,  the  United  States 
Government   was   making,  expeditiously,   preparations   for 
tlieir  relief.     A  staunch   government  vessel   was  equipped, 
and  under  command  of  Captain  Schley,  with  Lieut.  Emory, 
and  Chief  Engineer  Melville,  men  with  previous  Arctic  ex- 
perience, was  sent  forward  early  in  the  spring  to  the  relief 
of  the  Greely  party.     Commander  Schley,  with  remarkable 
energy  and  daring,  pushed  his  vess<l  through  the  dangerous 
storms  and  heavy  spring  gales  of  Melville  IJay,  feeling  that 
every  moment  of  time  gained  meant  succor  to  comrades  in 
sore  distress.     The   result  fully  demonstrated   that  the  un- 
usual  energy  and   daring  disfdayed  had  not  been  misspent. 
When  the  Greely  expedition  was  found,  what  was  '-jft  of  it, 
by  Commander  Schley,  it  had  been  without   food  or  water 
or  a  day  and   a  half,  save  an  ounce  or  so  of  hall-boiled  or 
roasted  oil-tanned  seal-skin,  which  each  man  had  by  him. 
For  two  days  and  a  half  previously  they  had  experienced 
the  violence  of  a  heavy  gale,  which  had  blown  down  the 


GBEELY'a    HEROIC    ACHIEVEMENT. 


717 


tent  niul  the  lienvy  ciinvns  pinned  Sergeants  Brninnrd,  Long, 
and  Lieut,  Greely  to  tiio  ground.  Connell  was  but  liuU' 
conscious,  and  anotiicr  day  would  liuve  seen  the  deatli  of 
several  more. 

From  the  oflicers  of  the  relief  party  these  men  received 
the  most,  careful  :ind  considerate  kindnesses,  not  suchascomo 
in  the  mere  line  of  their  official  duty,  but  such  as  spring 
from  men's  hearts  when  moved  by  pity  and  compas.sion. 
Tlie  watchful  skill  and  unceasing  attentions  of  Doctors 
Green  and  Ames  insured  the  building  up  of  the  faint  spark 
of  vitality  which  remained.  Less  firmness  and  attention 
might  easily  have  proved  fatal. 

The   news  of  the   rescue,   when   it  reached   the  United 
States,  created  considerable  stir  in   the  public  mind,  and 
later,  when  the  full  derails  of  the  sad  experiences  of  these 
men  were  published  through  the  press,  the  warm  sympath- 
ies of  their  countiymen  were  deeply  aroused.     All  honor 
was  accorded  for  the  noble  sacrifices  which  had  been  made  by 
these  men  in  the  interests  of  science.  Public  receptions  were 
given  and  generous  ovations  tendered  on  all  sides  to  the 
survivors.      Both  the  President  and  the  Secretary  of  tiie 
Navy,  in  behalf  of  themselves  and    the  nation,  gratefully 
expressed   thanks    for   the    work    which    their    hands  had 
wrought,  in  tiie  interests  of  science  and  in  geographical  dis- 
covery. 

We  cannot  more  fittingly  close  this  narrative  of  the  Lady 
Franklin  Bay  Expedition,  than  in  the  words  of  its  noble 
conmiander,  when  he  speaks  of  the  dead.  He  says:  "I 
should  be  unjust  to  the  dead  did  I  not  call  attention  to  their 
arduous  labors,  heroic  endurance,  and  unflinching  determin- 
ation which  advanced  the  national  ensign  to  an  unparalleled 
latitude,  carried  out  the  programme  of  international  scien- 
tific  observations,  increased  perhaps  in  an  nneqnaled  degree 
in  this  century  our  knowledge  of  the  physical  characteristics 
and  configurations  of  Polar  lands,  and  who,  more  than  all, 


718 


greely's  iieuoic  achievement. 


in  pcrlinps  the  most  successful  Arctic  boat  journey  of  the 
ugc.  broujjlit  siifily,  at  I  lie  piico  of  grcut  bodily  Builciing 
unci  (liminiHJKMl  cliaucos  of  life,  tlirougli  a  deuso  Polar  pack, 
their  records  to  a  point  wiience  tliey  would  eventually  reach 
the  world.  Tliey  died  for  that  end,  and  should  not  bo  for- 
gotten." 


i 

J 


